


Reverse Horizons PMP

by magumarashi



Category: Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Age Difference, F/M, also there are ton more characters that show up like once. im not tagging em, though honestly if one partner is an ageless eldritch horror when do you stop counting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-16 22:44:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 46,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12352071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magumarashi/pseuds/magumarashi
Summary: Mitsumi spent her whole life dreaming of becoming a Pokemon Trainer--even if Pokemon weren't real. One morning, she wakes up to find herself in a world beyond her wildest dreams....





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The first edition of this fic was originally published from 2008-2010 under the name "Pocket Monsters Platinum", because when I was in high school I couldn't think of a title to save my life apparently. You can find all 120 chapters of the original [on deviantart.](https://quilofire.deviantart.com/gallery/5364995/Pocket-Monsters-Platinum) I wrote it as a teenager, so the writing has not aged very well.
> 
> Wanting to do the original idea justice, I revised the fic in 2016, and posted the second edition in full to [my wordpress](https://magustorytime.wordpress.com/category/revised-pmp/). The version on AO3 will be this second edition.
> 
> For the rewriting I wanted to stay generally true to the intent of the original, but just make it easier to read. In particular I wanted to tackle two main things: how Mitsumi and Zero’s relationship progresses, and the psychological implications of waking up in a different world. I also wanted to iron out some plot details that had never really sat well with me, make sure character names were consistent with the English dub, and eschew a bunch of one-off characters in favor of more buildup for recurring ones.
> 
> The one character name I'm still a stick in the mud about is Looker; he goes by "Handsome" in all the fics of mine he appears in. (because his first appearance was in PMP, before we had a dub name for him, and I've wanted to stay consistent with that across fics). Also, I chose to tag this as Hikari | Dawn instead of OC because Mitsumi does use the Pt female protag's design.
> 
> Anyway, if you're game, enjoy!

Rain pelted the window outside as Mitsumi sat on her bed, Nintendo DS in hand, halfheartedly trying to hatch an egg on Sinnoh’s Cycling Road. It had been raining on and off for the past week; an oddity for the usually arid Colorado, and especially for the spring. Colorado was prone to rainy summer afternoons, not spring showers. Mitsumi couldn’t help but get the feeling that something was about to happen.

She didn’t particularly care for rain. She loved riding her bike through her hometown, and being able to visit friends (none of them were old enough to drive yet; bikes were the only way to get around). On rainy days she was confined to her house. Though it _did_ give her an excuse to play video games all day, she’d already beaten most of the ones she had–hence her lazily holding the up and down buttons on her DS, sending her little player cruising back and forth on Cycling Road.

“This sucks,” she said to herself. Her eyes wandered to the window, where huge raindrops still pattered on the glass, “I want a real adventure.”

It wasn’t enough to live vicariously through the characters in the game: Mitsumi’s longtime dream was to be a Pokémon trainer. She knew that Pokémon weren’t real, but that didn’t stop her from imagining what it would be like to go on adventures with them. Her extensive Pokémon collection reflected this: Pokémon posters hung around her room, and Pokémon dolls lined her shelves. She’d played every game, watched every movie, and was doing her best to keep up with the show. Mitsumi was always on top of what was going on in the Pokémon universe–even if she couldn’t live there. It occasionally interfered with her schoolwork, much to her parents’ chagrin, but Mitsumi didn’t care. Summer was approaching fast, and before long her grades wouldn’t matter anyway.

Mitsumi was looking forward to this summer, perhaps moreso than usual. School had been fairly difficult this year, and she yearned for the freedom that summer would bring. She was already lined up to have a summer job–six weeks as a junior park ranger in the city’s open space parks, which she’d only applied to because she’d played the game “Pokémon Ranger” and wondered what being a real ranger might be like. The eleventh Pokémon movie would be coming to Japanese theaters in July, and she was looking forward to learning more about the Reverse World and the mysterious Giratina. She and her friends could read summaries of it on the internet and talk about what changes might be made when it finally came to the US. And maybe, just maybe, there would be more updates on the newly announced game, Pokémon Platinum…

_“Oh?”_

A message appeared onscreen, indicating that her egg was ready to hatch. It had probably been there for a few minutes now, but Mitsumi had been too lost in thought to notice. The white and green-spotted egg cracked open, revealing the Pokémon within. Truthfully, she’d forgotten which Pokémon was supposed to be in the egg in the first place. It was the penguin-like Piplup.

“Mitsumi, honey?” her mom called up the stairs, “Dinner will be ready soon. Did you finish your homework?”

“Yes,” Mitsumi lied through her teeth. She’d finish her homework on the bus tomorrow, like she usually did. She was loath to waste a weekend day on homework, even if she was wasting it playing a Pokémon game she’d already beaten.

The rest of the evening moved like clockwork, as ordinary as any other. Mitsumi sighed to herself as she lay in bed that night, not looking forward to the 6:30 am wakeup the following morning.

_Why do I have to go to school? Why can’t I just be a Pokémon trainer…?_

The sound of the rain persistently tapping the window began to lull her to sleep.

_Move faster, time. I want it to be summer already…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unintentionally, the prologue also has become a snapshot of what being a Pokemon fan was like in 2008. None of this simultaneous release business, no! In my day we depended on serebii corocoro leaks alone, both ways in the snow, and we were _grateful_


	2. Where is this place?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That's definitely not the sound of Mitsumi's alarm clock.

_Starly, Starly! Wake up, wake up!_

Mitsumi awoke the next morning to a very strange sound that was not anything like her alarm clock’s digital beeps. With a yawn, she reluctantly reached over to shut it off.

It definitely did not feel like her alarm clock.

Mitsumi bolted straight up in bed and grabbed the clock for a better look, only to discover that it wasn’t her alarm clock at all. It resembled the Pokémon Starly, a grey and brown bird with black eyes. After some doing, she finally found the button to shut it off. Its analog face read nine o’clock.

“Crap! I’m late!”

Mitsumi jumped out of bed, dragging half the covers with her, but then she paused in realization. At the moment, there was something much more pressing than her being late to school.

She looked around the room, which did not resemble her room at home in the slightest. It was bigger, with wood floors and a window at one end. A TV sat in one corner with a Nintendo Wii hooked up to it. In another corner, near the double-door closet, was a desk with a computer. A poster map of the Sinnoh Region hung on one wall, above a bookshelf jammed with Pokémon-themed books and magazines that Mitsumi had never heard of. A single plush Pikachu sat on the windowsill.

“What the heck…?”

Had she been kidnapped? And if so, where _was_ she?

Mitsumi threw the clock back on the bed and ran to the window, throwing its white curtains open.

At a glance, she could have mistaken the view for home. Mountains rose in the distance, and though the houses across the street were spaced further apart, it seemed like a fairly normal suburban neighborhood. What should have been the cul-de-sac Mitsumi grew up on was now a wide dirt street with a few houses on it. A street sign read “Lum Lane” among trees in full leaf.

_Starly! Starly!_

Birds were singing, their cries uncannily similar to the Starly alarm clock. Was it possible they were really…?

Mitsumi put her hand to her forehead as she left the window, head spinning. She tried to convince herself to relax, but there was no way she wasn’t going to panic after waking up in a completely different house.

“It’s a dream. This has _got_ to be a dream…”

On her way back to the bed, Mitsumi passed the standing mirror near the closet and almost had a heart attack. A girl she’d never seen in her life was staring back at her from the other side. Her usual jet-black hair and hazel eyes were now both a purplish-black color, and her face looked totally different.

“What the…?” She was equally shocked to find her own voice coming from the other girl’s mouth. She backed up, “It’s just a dream, Mitsumi, it’s just a–!”

She tripped on something and fell backward, hitting the wood floor hard. Pain shot up through her legs and back.

“Argh–!”

She sat up, nursing her bruised behind. The culprit was an unsharpened pencil, left precariously in the middle of the floor. It read “Jubilife High School” on one side. Mitsumi stared at it in disbelief.

“Jubilife…? And if that hurt, then–it can’t be…!!”

Mitsumi stood up carefully and walked to the window again. A pair of Starly flew across the window, startling her. She spotted movement on the lawn of the opposite house: a beaver-like Pokémon called Bidoof was muching on the wooden fence surrounding a small garden. Two plantlike Budew scolded the Bidoof from their perch on the edge of a planter box.

Common Pokémon.

Mitsumi rubbed her eyes. The Bidoof and Budew were still there.

“Is this… is this real?”

Mitsumi walked over to the television and picked up the remote. She flipped it on, and a familiar face appeared onscreen. He was an older man, with a white mustache and serious expression. A title card indicated that he was Professor Rowan, Sinnoh’s foremost Pokémon authority.

“Pokémon are by our side, always. I hope you will understand the meaning of those words,” he said. His comment appeared at the bottom of the screen in the form of simplified subtitles in a gaudy font. The screen switched to a bright and colorful studio full of people in sharp outfits.

“That was the comment left by Professor Rowan, who has returned to Sinnoh from the Kanto region,” said the show’s host, “This concludes our special program, ‘Let’s ask Professor Rowan!’ Brought to you by Jubilife TV! See you next week, same time, same channel!”

“Professor Rowan…” Mitsumi said. The ending credits rolled, drowning out her words, “So then, this really is…”

After switching the TV off, Mitsumi headed over to the closet. She figured there wouldn’t be much use in sitting around in her pajamas all day trying to figure things out, so she opened the doors to see what she had to wear. Stuffed in the closet were a myriad of cute tops, skirts, and dresses; a small chest of drawers held socks and accessories. Mitsumi had certainly never owned this many outfits in her life, and her usual clothing choices were a lot less stylish. She picked a cute shirt and shorts from it seemingly at random, and later threw in a pair of white thigh-high socks. She was surprised that all these clothes fit her, but she supposed they would have to–they had been owned by the person whose body she now inhabited, after all.

There was no doubt in her mind that something like that had happened. Somehow, she had switched bodies with someone living in another reality. What other explanation did she have for waking up in someone else’s room, wearing a face that didn’t look like her own?

“Am I the only one home…?” Mitsumi wondered to herself. She quietly left her room, finding a hallway beyond it, with stairs leading down to a second floor. The walls were lined with pictures of a girl Mitsumi assumed was her, at varying ages; there was also a woman with hair the same color as hers, and, occasionally, a man who looked nothing like either of them. The man only appeared in older-looking photos, and he looked progressively more haggard in each.

A voice called up the stairs.

“Mitsumi, honey? Are you awake?”

Mitsumi’s heart leapt–it was her mother’s voice! She took the stairs two at a time, hoping against hope that she wasn’t the only one in this weird situation–!

“Mom!” Mitsumi cried as she burst into what appeared to be a living room, “Mom, what happened?! Where are we?!”

“Oh, you’re awake,” came the reply, and Mitsumi found her mother’s voice unnervingly calm, “What’s this all about, honey?”

A woman stepped out of the kitchen, and to Mitsumi’s dismay, she looked the same as the woman in the pictures. Her face somewhat resembled Mitsumi’s new one, and she wore a white shirt with a red apron. Oddly, Mitsumi felt like she’d seen her somewhere before.

“Mom, where are we?” said Mitsumi, “What’s going on?”

“What on earth are you talking about?” said the woman, “Honey, we’ve been here for a few months now. Don’t you remember? We moved from Jubilife to Twinleaf to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.”

Mitsumi didn’t remember. She thought as hard as she could, but her only memories of living anywhere before this were of Colorado. Why did this woman sound so much like her mother, then….?

“You were dreaming about our apartment in Jubilife, right?” said the woman, “But think, honey! Here we can live closer to nature and Pokémon, and we don’t have to be squished into one apartment. You have your own room! Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Is Dad here too?” Mitsumi asked. She looked around the room, but she and this other woman were the only ones there. When she turned her gaze back to the woman, she was grimacing slightly.

“Are you feeling alright, honey?” she asked, “You… you remember your father died years ago, right?”

Mitsumi stared back at her in disbelief.

“He’s… he’s dead…?”

“Yes,” the woman seemed a bit frustrated, “You were with him in the hospital. Mitsumi. If you’re not feeling well, maybe you shouldn’t go out today. I’ll call the doctor, and see if–”

“Oh, no, I’m fine!” said Mitsumi suddenly. Nevermind the revelation that her father was dead–if she had switched bodies with this other person, then the ‘father’ who had died was someone she’d never met. Her own parents were probably alive and well, somewhere…

“Are you sure, honey?” the woman knit her brows, “You’ve been acting very strangely today.”

“I just had a bad dream!” said Mitsumi, “I remember now. Really.”

_That’s all it was. Nevermind that I currently seem to be in a living nightmare…_

“Well, alright,” the woman didn’t quite seem convinced, “I worry about you, dear… Anyway, want some pancakes? I made Oran ones, just the way you like them.”

“Oh, yeah, sure…”

Mitsumi took a seat at the table and looked around the main room. A TV in one corner blared with what appeared to be a show about Pokémon Contests. There was a quaint fireplace, and on the mantle above it were various certificates and trophies. There was even a photo of Mitsumi’s “mother” in a dress, holding a trophy and posing with various Pokémon. One of the certificates read:

_This is to certify that_

**_Johanna Yukino_ **

_won the Lilycove City Master Rank Cute Contest with her Pokémon partner,_

**_Cammy._ **

_Johanna Yukino…_ Mitsumi thought to herself, _so her name must be Johanna…. Oh! Wasn’t the player’s mother in Diamond and Pearl named Johanna too?_

It suddenly occurred to Mitsumi where she’d seen her before.

The woman in question walked out of the kitchen carrying plates stacked with Pikachu-shaped pancakes. She placed one of them in front of Mitsumi before sitting down across from her. Mitsumi tried them cautiously. They had a sort of citrusy taste, with well-balanced flavors, and they were so perfectly buttered that they almost melted in her mouth.

“Wow, these are really good…” Mitsumi found herself saying between mouthfuls. She hastily added, “Your cooking’s the best, mom!”

She figured it would be better to pretend nothing was wrong for the time being.

Johanna smiled back at her.

“Mitsumi, honey, can you do your mom a favor?” she said, “I need you to run to Sandgem Town today to get some Poffin ingredients for me, since our little grocery store was out of stock. I’m having a bunch of coordinator friends over for dinner tonight, and I need to get the house ready. Can I trust you to go to the Mart in Sandgem and get some Pecha and Pinap berries? I need ten of each.”

“Sure…?”

“I’ll give you some money, too. Where’s your purse, upstairs?”

“Yeah.”

Suddenly, a catlike Pokémon hopped up onto the table and sat down next to Mitsumi’s plate, eyeing the pancake ear she’d left behind. Mitsumi hadn’t even noticed it coming, and she almost fell out of her chair in surprise.

“Cammy! You know that’s not for you!” Johanna scolded the Pokémon, “Bad Glameow!”

Reluctantly, Glameow hopped off the table and took a seat on the floor next to Mitsumi’s chair. It eyed her expectantly.

_A real, live Pokémon, right before my very eyes…_ Mitsumi thought excitedly. For a moment she forgot her apprehension of having woken up alone in a strange place. She reached out to pet it, and Glameow purred happily. _This is so cool! Gotta act natural, though… things like this are probably no big deal here in Sinnoh._

It was sinking in slowly: the fact that she’d woken up in the Pokémon world.

Mitsumi finished her pancakes, and Johanna cleared her plate.

“I’m going to head to Sandgem now,” said Mitsumi, “Let me get my purse, I’ll be right down.”

“Okay, honey,” Johanna responded.

Mitsumi didn’t want to stick around for very long; she was already itching to get outside and see what else this new world had to offer. Besides, the idea of sitting at home and having to pretend she was this woman’s daughter was already making her skin crawl.

Mitsumi went back upstairs and back over to the closet, where she remembered seeing two barrel-style purses: a yellow one, and a white one. She checked both of them; the yellow one was empty, while the white one had a wallet and a blue-and-white watch inside. Mitsumi fashioned the watch to her wrist, and digital numbers appeared on its screen.

“A Pokétch, too…?” Mitsumi pressed one of the red buttons to see which apps it had installed. It only had the digital clock and calculator features, but Mitsumi figured those would be enough for now. She did find herself wishing it had a calendar, though–that way she could tell what day it was. She’d left her world on a Sunday night, but she wasn’t sure those days would translate directly to this world.

Inside the wallet, she found three crisp bills with “1000” printed on them.

“Three thousand Pokédollars,” said Mitsumi. It was the same amount players were given at the start of a Pokémon game, “This is too weird.”

She peeked out the window to double-check what the weather was like; despite the sun overhead, there was snow on the ground. She dug back into the closet and pulled out a red peacoat, a white knit beanie, and a white scarf. She’d never been very good at coordinating her outfits, but this other girl’s menagerie of cute clothes made it much easier to look put-together. It put her own collection of graphic tees and sweatpants to shame.

Mitsumi made her way back downstairs, white bag slung over her shoulder. Johanna handed her an extra 1000 Pokédollar bill and one 500 Pokédollar coin.

“You remember how to get to Sandgem, right?” said Johanna.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” said Mitsumi. She walked to the door and slipped her feet into some pink rain boots–these also fit her perfectly, “See you later, mom!”

“Be careful out there,” said Johanna, “Make sure to stick to the paths. Wild Pokémon live in tall grass.”

“I know, I know.”

Boots clomping, Mitsumi walked out the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In rewriting this I also looked more closely at spots where Platinum differed from DP; when I started writing, Platinum wasn’t even out yet haha…. I wanted to incorporate more early elements from Platinum that I ended up liking.


	3. A Boy Named Jun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsumi sets out on that errand for her mother, but with just one small problem: she has no idea how to get to Sandgem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "i thought you said you were going to use dub names" ok, but, you can name the rival whatever you want

The truth was that Mitsumi actually _didn’t_ know how to get to Sandgem Town. It couldn’t possibly have been like it was in the games, where the walk from your house to the Sandgem Pokémon Center took about a minute. With a bike it was probably quicker than that. But here, in a Pokémon world as real as she’d always dreamed it could be, it was impossible for the distance between the two towns to be that short.

Mitsumi turned left off of Lum Lane and onto what appeared to be a main street. She walked with her head on a swivel, unable to believe what she was seeing. The Twinleaf Town she’d known had been much smaller, only consisting of four houses. This Twinleaf more closely resembled a suburb, with quaint houses and picket fences. Piles of snow lingered in places shaded from the sun, and Pokémon played in people’s yards.

A brisk breeze blew, and Mitsumi shivered a little despite the warm morning air. She’d begun to wish she had a map when someone called out to her.

“Hey there! You’re a new face around here.”

Mitsumi turned. A blond boy about her age was leaning on a mailbox in front of a house not unlike the one she’d left. He waved to her, his green scarf swishing slightly. For some reason, he also looked familiar.

“I guess I am,” said Mitsumi, “I just moved here recently.”

_More like this morning, but, you know…_

“No wonder I haven’t seen you around,” said the boy, “In Twinleaf, everybody knows everybody else. Well, anyway, I’m Jun.”

“I’m Mitsumi,” said Mitsumi, “Mitsumi, uh…” What had Johanna’s surname been again? “Yukino.”

“Well, Mitsumi Uh Yukino,” said Jun, grinning, “You can just call me Jun; everybody’s on a first-name basis around here anyway. Where’d you move out here from?”

_A place farther away than you could ever imagine, Jun…_

“Jubilife,” she answered.

“I see! A city slicker!” said Jun, “Well, I can show you around town if you want.”

Normally Mitsumi would have turned down such a request from a boy, but something told her she could trust Jun.

“I’m actually headed to Sandgem town for an errand, but…” Mitsumi smiled, “I have no idea how to get there.”

“Gotcha!” said Jun, “Sandgem, huh? That’s on the other end of Route 201. It’s not that far from here, just go straight on this road until you get out of town and take a right. There’s a pretty well-marked path, too. Easy! But–if you want me to show you the way anyway, that’s fine. Hey, do you have any Pokémon? Route 201 is full of wild Pokémon, so it’s a good idea to bring one of your own, too.”

“No, I don’t have any yet,” Mitsumi couldn’t believe how fast this boy could talk.

“What!!” Jun looked at her incredulously, “And you’re planning to go to Sandgem by yourself!? That’s dangerous, Mitsumi!”

“Well, mom said to stay on the paths, and I should be fine…”

“Still,” Jun frowned, “It wouldn’t be good to get lost out there, with all those wild Pokémon… Listen, how about I walk you there? I have a Pokémon, and if you want I can catch one for you on the way.”

“Oh, I’m good,” said Mitsumi, “On the Pokémon thing, anyway. I don’t think my mom would want me just showing up with a Pokémon, you know?”

“Yeah, makes sense.”

Mitsumi really wanted a Pokémon–wanted one more than anything, actually–but she didn’t want to trouble Jun more than she already was, and she really wasn’t sure what Johanna would say if she came home with a Pokémon. Besides, wasn’t the Pokémon Lab in Sandgem town? In the games, that’s where new trainers went to get their first Pokémon. Maybe she could get a Pokémon there…

“But I’d really appreciate you walking me to Sandgem,” said Mitsumi, “I don’t know my way around at all, so I’d probably get lost first thing.”

“Yeah,” said Jun, “Well, come on! It’s not that far of a walk, but it’s still pretty time-consuming if you’re avoiding tall grass.”

Mitsumi nodded, and the two of them set off walking. As they walked, Jun made sure to point out things like the grocery store and the hardware shop.

“We don’t have any fancy malls or anything out here,” he explained, “You can get the basics at the grocery store, but if you want anything fancier, you have to go to Sandgem for it. We don’t even have a movie theater. It’s kind of a bummer, actually.”

“You sound like you don’t like living here much,” said Mitsumi.

“Nah, not really,” said Jun, “It’s a good place to grow up, but it’s not really for me. I wanna get out there and see the world–you know?”

It didn’t take too long to reach the edge of town, and signs clearly denoted that they were heading onto Route 201.

“Stay near me,” said Jun, “Wild Pokémon could attack at any time.”

“Got it.”

Mitsumi’s heart was racing: she’d be able to see real wild Pokémon! But she had the feeling that if even locals were cautious about it, wild Pokémon were probably more dangerous than the games made them out to be.

Route 201 was fairly flat and grassy, with a clear dirt path cut between patches of tall grass. Occasionally there were some short ledges breaking up the terrain, and the route was framed on both sides by thick forest, but it didn’t look nearly as intimidating as Jun and Johanna had made it sound.

It was a fairly easygoing walk, and they peppered the quiet of the forest with light conversation while avoiding the tall grass. The sun shone overhead, yet Mitsumi was never too warm for her scarf and coat. Somehow, she felt her heart swelling with energy and hope.

_I’m in the Pokémon world now. I don’t know how I got here, but maybe…_

Mitsumi didn’t have time to finish her thought; a Starly jumped from a tree and rushed to attack, chirping angrily.

“Yikes! Chimchar, go!” shouted Jun, throwing a Pokéball in the air. A monkey-like Chimchar popped out of it. Mitsumi had seen plenty of Chimchar in her games, but there was something exciting about seeing one life-sized right in front of her.

“Chimchar, use ember!” Jun called. The monkey-like Pokémon leaped at Starly and shot a barrage of embers from its mouth. The bird Pokémon was almost instantly defeated, and it tottered into a nearby patch of grass and disappeared.

“That was a close one,” said Jun, “Pokémon on Route 201 are known for being pretty weak, so it’s a good thing I could take it out in one hit… Mitsumi?”

Mitsumi was bending down for a closer look at Jun’s Pokémon. It smiled at her and titled its head curiously. She patted its warm head appreciatively.

“Your Pokémon is so cute!” she said, “I’ve never seen a Chimchar in person before.”

“Really? Even in the city?” Jun grinned, “Must be your lucky day, then!”

“Do you think you’re going to evolve it someday?” asked Mitsumi. She picked Chimchar up and held it like a young child.

“I hope so… if I ever get out of here, that is,” said Jun, “I really want to challenge gyms, but the truth is, I haven’t even been to Oreburgh yet.”

“Too far of a walk?”

“No, it’s not that. I could probably get there in a day if I book it,” said Jun, “It’s just… The gym leader there trains Rock-type Pokémon, right? Me and Chimchar wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“So you can catch water or grass Pokémon to help!” said Mitsumi, “The fun part about Pokémon is that you can train as many different Pokémon as you want! The more the merrier, right?”

“Right, yeah…” said Jun, “There’s also… well, if I earn one badge, I doubt I’d want to stop at one. I don’t know how my mom would feel about me going on a journey, especially now that Dad’s been so busy…”

“Oh,” said Mitsumi.

“But I really do wanna go on a journey!” said Jun, “One day I wanna challenge gyms and win badges! I wanna be the best–like no one ever was!”

Mitsumi couldn’t help giggling.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s nothing,” Mitsumi said, trying not to smile so hard.

“Anyway, return, Chimchar,” said Jun, pointing a Pokéball at his Pokémon. The monkey Pokémon was zapped back into the ball, leaving Mitsumi empty-handed, “It’s not a whole lot farther, so let’s keep moving.”

They kept walking for a while until they passed a sign that said “Now Entering Sandgem Town, the sandy town connected to the ocean!” All told, their travel time from the edge of Twinleaf to the outskirts of Sandgem had been about a half hour. The town was small, but it was noticeably bigger than Twinleaf and bustled with activity. Mitsumi looked around as they walked, but it seemed that the major buildings she remembered from the games were deeper into the town. _This isn’t the games,_ she reminded herself, _This is the real deal. Gotta remember that_.

“So…” said Mitsumi, “Where’s the mart?”

“Let’s see,” said Jun, taking out a folded-up electronic device. He unfolded it, revealing two screens, a directional pad, and two buttons. The top screen portrayed a topographic map of the Sinnoh region. Using the directional pad, Jun put the cursor over Sandgem town and pressed a button. On the bottom screen, a city map appeared depicting the roads and major buildings. An arrow indicated Jun’s location. There was a red dot on one street, a blue dot on another, and several white dots scattered around marking other important locations.

“The red dot is the Pokémon center, and the blue one’s the mart,” said Jun, “Looks like the mart’s nearby…”

The two of them walked for a bit, watching their progress on Jun’s map, before they finally came upon a building with a bright blue roof and a spinning neon sign. A sign over the door read “Pokémon Mart”. The automatic doors slid open as they approached.

There wasn’t much inside the building: some posters cataloging the types of berries sold at the mart decorated the back wall, and a display in the middle of the room advertised neatly laid-out Pokéballs, escape ropes, and potions. A shelf on the wall to the left was lined with Pokémon food, and a shelf on the wall to the right was lined with repels, fluffy tails and other Pokémon-repellant devices. The front window was home to a display filled with status healers such as antidotes and burn heals. It looked a little more like a mom-and-pop store than it did a Pokemart, but Mitsumi figured that a small-town store like this wouldn’t be as fancy as marts in the bigger cities.

“Hello!” Mitsumi approached the counter, “Do you sell berries here?”

“Yeah,” the cashier smiled at her, “We keep ‘em in the back. What kinds do you need?”

“Ten Pecha berries and ten Pinap berries, if you have them!”

“We should. Let me grab ‘em for you.”

The cashier disappeared through a door covered by brightly-colored fabric; he emerged not long after with two large plastic bags. He punched some numbers into the cash register, and the total came out to 1000 Pokédollars. Mitsumi took one of the bills from her wallet and handed it to him.

“Would you like the bags?” he asked as he put the money away.

“Yes please,” she said. For something called “berries,” these fruits were far from small: the Pecha berries were as large as peaches, and the Pinap berries looked like stout, smooth-skinned pineapples. It would have taken some doing to stuff them all in her bag, so she took the plastic bags in one hand and thanked the cashier.

As they left the mart, Jun turned to Mitsumi.

“Well? What are you going to do now?” asked Jun, “I can walk you back to town if you want… wait a minute!!”

Jun slapped his forehead in realization.

“What?!” said Mitsumi, “What is it!?”

“I completely forgot!!” said Jun, “I had to help my mom out at the shop today! I can’t believe I spaced like that… Oh man, she’s gonna be steaming mad when I walk in late!!”

“Yikes,” said Mitsumi, “You should get moving, then. I’ve got some things I wanted to check out in town before I head back, so…”

“You sure?” said Jun, “I guess you can avoid the tall grass by jumping down those ledges we saw earlier, but still. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I’ll be fine,” Mitsumi assured him, “You should go before your mom gets even more mad.”

“Yeah…” Jun rooted through his bag before taking out the small folding device from earlier and handing it to her, “Why don’t you take my map, then? That way you can still find your way around if you get lost.”

“Really?” said Mitsumi, “You’re sure I can just–?”

“Just give it back next time I see you!” said Jun, shoving the map into her hands, “I gotta bolt–see you around, Mitsumi!”

And with that he was off; dashing down the lane at a pace Mitsumi didn’t think was possible. She couldn’t help giggling a little bit.

_He never sits still, does he? Not even in the games…_

She’d remembered where she’d seen him before: he looked exactly like the player’s rival in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Professor Rowan, her ‘mother’, and now her neighbor Jun… Mitsumi was beginning to wonder how many other things in this world would line up one-to-one with the world she knew from fiction–and how it was possible that she’d ended up in a universe where all of it was real.

Mitsumi opened up the map he’d given her, balancing the straps of the shopping bags in the crooks of her elbows. Its screen welcomed her before displaying the same map of the Sinnoh region. Mitsumi toyed around a bit to see what she could do with the device before zooming in on Sandgem town. Route 201 would be a straight shot back down the road they’d come. A large dot labeled “Rowan Pokémon Research Lab” sat at the edge of town to the north. Mitsumi started walking; without thinking about it, she took a right and headed up a side road.


	4. The Rowan Pokemon Lab

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's like they say: when in rome...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the things that really bugged me about the original was how love triangle-y I’d made Lucas, Jun, and Mitsumi’s friendship at the outset. (though in my defense, when I first started writing the fic I'd thought one of those was going to be the endgame ship... yeah, that lasted about two weeks). So, in the revision I toned it down.

Before long, and without really realizing it, Mitsumi found herself standing in front of a large domed building with a wind turbine next to it. The building stood out among the quaint buildings that made up the rest of the neighborhood. She walked all the way to the glass front door before stopping. The lab beyond was lit, but she couldn’t see any movement inside. She knocked, but there was no response.

Mitsumi sighed to herself.

“You’re right,” she said to nobody in particular, “I should probably just head home…”

“The professor’s out doing fieldwork,” said a voice from behind her, “May I help you?”

Mitsumi jumped and spun around; she hadn’t even noticed anyone approaching. A black-haired boy stood behind her, carrying a briefcase and looking at her skeptically.

“Hi,” said Mitsumi, “Sorry… if the professor’s out, I can come back another day.”

“He shouldn’t be gone too much longer,” the boy reassured her, “Were you looking to get your first Pokémon?”

“Was it that easy to tell?” Mitsumi smiled sheepishly.

“Yeah, kinda,” said the boy, “What’s your name, anyway?”

“I’m Mitsumi, and I’m from Bo–I mean, Twinleaf town.”

“Mitsumi. Got it,” said the boy, “My name’s Lucas. I’m an assistant to the professor.”

Mitsumi nodded. This boy looked familiar too–the red cap tipped her off. It didn’t take her as long to figure out where she’d seen him before. Even if the outfit was a little different, he had a striking resemblance to the male hero from the Diamond and Pearl games.

“Hey, why don’t we wait inside?” Lucas offered, “You look like you could use a place to put your stuff down.”

“Yeah, actually…” the plastic bags were beginning to cut into her fingers uncomfortably.

Lucas took a card key from a pocket of his blue coat and tapped the reader near the glass doors; they slid open to admit them. Mitsumi followed Lucas inside, and the boy led her to a table where she could put down her bags.

“So if you’re an assistant to the professor, does that mean you have a Pokémon too?” asked Mitsumi.

“Yep,” said Lucas, “Just one though–my Turtwig.”

Lucas took a Pokéball from his pocket and allowed it to open. A small green turtle with a twig on its head popped from it and landed on shiny tile floor of the lab. It looked up at Mitsumi and smiled cheerily.

“That’s so cool…!!” Mitsumi couldn’t help saying. She quickly added, “I mean, that you have your own Pokémon and all…”

It would be weird, in a world where such things were commonplace, to admit that she thought the very act of letting out a Pokémon was the pinnacle of cool.

“Well, yeah,” Lucas apparently didn’t think anything of it, “My whole family works as aides to the professor, so we all have our own Pokémon.”

“Wow, it must be neat to have the whole family working together,” said Mitsumi. After some thought she added, “My mom was a coordinator, so–!”

“A coordinator?!” said Lucas. “Really?? That’s awesome!! I mean…”

He backed off a little, and pulled his hat down sheepishly.

“S-sorry… I really like watching Pokémon Contests, and I’ve always wanted to participate in one myself,” he said, “You and your Pokémon get to dress up and go on TV! But the professor’s been so busy lately, I haven’t had any time to do any traveling or anything…”

“Bummer,” said Mitsumi, “Well, I hope you get to try a contest someday.”

“T-thanks…” said Lucas, “What about you, Mitsumi? You said you’re here for a Pokémon–what are you looking to do as a trainer?”

Before Mitsumi could answer, the lock on the door clicked, and the glass doors slid open. In strode Professor Rowan, even more imposing in person than he was on television, flanked by two middle-aged assistants in lab coats. Mitsumi took the latter to be Lucas’ parents.

“Lucas! You’re back already,” said the professor, “I have some notes from today’s study, and I will need your help in writing the full report–oh? Who is this young lady?”

The professor gave Mitsumi a once-over.

“A trainer to-be, I presume?” he said.

Mitsumi nodded.

“This is Mitsumi,” said Lucas, “She came here all the way from Twinleaf town.”

“That’s quite a ways to walk without a Pokémon,” said the professor sternly, “I’m surprised you made it here in one piece. It’s reckless, venturing into wild Pokémon’s territory without–!”

“Actually, professor,” Mitsumi piped up, “I walked here with a friend who had a Pokémon. But he had to run back home, so…”

“I see, so you’re stranded here without one,” the professor nodded, “Hmm. Your world will surely change if I were to entrust you with a Pokémon. Is it right for me to put you on this path so lightly?”

Mitsumi said nothing, but in her mind she thought: _My world has already changed quite a bit in the last couple of hours. A little more couldn’t hurt._

“Well, let me ask you this,” said the professor, “You truly love Pokémon, do you?”

Mitsumi couldn’t believe he had to ask.

“Yes!!” she answered, perhaps a little too loudly.

“I see,” said the professor, “In that case, please come with me.”

The professor left his coat with one of his assistants before indicating for Mitsumi and Lucas to follow him. The professor’s lab was very high-tech, with various machines humming around the room and several screens displaying complicated data. Mitsumi peeked at a few papers on a nearby desk to discover that Professor Rowan had the handwriting of a doctor.

The professor stopped when he reached the back of the lab, where a long table stood against the wall. Lucas set the briefcase down on the table.

“There comes a time when every trainer receives their first Pokémon,” said Professor Rowan, “After all, it wouldn’t do to go on an adventure by oneself. This world is one that should be explored together. For you, today must be that time. The place, right here. Lucas, if you would!”

Lucas opened the briefcase, revealing three Pokéballs.

“In the Sinnoh region, you have your choice of a fire, water, or grass-type Pokémon,” said the professor, “Let me show you what they look like.”

Mitsumi already knew, but she let the professor give his speech. He opened the first Pokéball, revealing a green turtle identical to Lucas’.

“The grass type, Turtwig,” said the professor, “They are easy to train, very docile, and grow quickly, but they aren’t the fastest Pokémon in Sinnoh…”

The second Pokéball contained an orange monkey just like Jun’s.

“This is Chimchar, the fire type,” said the professor, “They tend to be a handful for new trainers. They are filled with energy and can be hard for some trainers to control. They become much more manageable once they evolve, however.”

The third Pokéball contained the Pokémon that Mitsumi was waiting for. It looked like a small blue penguin that was wearing a cape–just like the one she’d hatched from an egg in her game.

“Pip,” said the Pokémon.

“Last but not least, we have the water-type, Piplup,” said Rowan, “Piplup are often very proud. They make loyal partners, but have trouble accepting kindness from strangers.”

Mitsumi’s choice was already made.

“I want that one, professor,” said Mitsumi instantly, pointing to Piplup, “It’s so cute, and it eventually evolves into Empoleon, right? I think it would be great to have a Piplup as my partner!”

“Are you sure that Piplup is the one you want?” said the professor, bushy brows furrowed skeptically, “You didn’t even take a minute to think about it…”

“I’m sure,” said Mitsumi, “Grass-types really aren’t for me, and Chimchar sounds like a lot of work to take care of. So I choose Piplup!”

Mitsumi lifted up the small penguin Pokémon to get a better look at it. Its down was soft and plushy, and felt warm to the touch. For a moment, Mitsumi felt giddy enough to float away: a real Pokémon–a real Pokémon of her own!

The professor recalled the other two Pokémon, who didn’t seem disappointed that they weren’t picked.

“Now, here are five Pokéballs to get you started,” said Lucas’ mother, “You can buy more at any Pokemart, so don’t be shy about using them!”

“ _But_ , Pokéballs might break if they fail to contain a Pokémon,” Lucas’ father added, “So I’d be careful to only use them after weakening the wild Pokemon.”

Mitsumi nodded and put Piplup back down before taking the five Pokéballs and stowing them in a side pocket of her bag.

“Here’s Piplup’s Pokéball, and…” said the Professor, “I think you should take one of these as well…”

The professor went to a filing cabinet nearby and procured a red, folded-over device. This he presented to her.

“This is a Pokédex,” he explained, “Not too long ago it was merely a new, gimmicky electronic, but it has since become an invaluable tool to trainers the world over. I actually just returned from a trip to Kanto, where I worked together with Professor Oak to refine the Sinnoh Pokédex even further… Well, anyway. I hope you’ll be able to put this Pokédex to good use.”

Mitsumi couldn’t help staring in awe as she took the Pokédex from the professor. She could hardly believe she was holding a real Pokédex! It turned on automatically as she flipped it open, its two screens lighting up. While she’d been expecting an identical interface to that in the games, it seemed this Pokédex had multiple functions. The top screen indicated that she had a choice between “Encyclopedia” mode and “Party Pokémon” mode.

“What are these modes?” she asked.

“Well, the Pokédex has two primary functions,” the professor explained, “‘Encyclopedia mode’ contains a database of information on all known Pokémon in the Sinnoh region, including where they live and what moves they can be taught. It has a camera that can identify any unfamiliar Pokémon you come across. This mode also keeps track of which Pokémon you’ve caught thus far.”

“Right,” said Mitsumi. This sounded like the Pokédex she was familiar with.

“‘Party Pokémon’ mode displays vital information about the Pokémon you have on hand,” Rowan continued, “The techniques they know, their gender, and even a bit about their personality.”

“I see…” said Mitsumi. So the Pokédex in this world was like both the “Pokémon” and “Pokédex” menus from the games, combined into one, “This is going to be really helpful. Thank you so much!”

“Of course,” said professor Rowan. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw the shadow of a smile beneath his mustache, “Now, listen well, young trainer. The Pokémon you have been entrusted with is very young, and is as yet unfamiliar with the world outside of Sandgem town. In that regard, it’s much like you. As fellow newcomers to the world, I hope the two of you will do well together.”

“I’ll do my best…” said Mitsumi.

The professor couldn’t have known just how much of a newcomer to this world Mitsumi really was–but she still found something oddly fitting about his word choice.

“If you have any trouble, come see me at my lab,” the professor continued, “Whether you travel the globe or never stray farther than your own neighborhood, the Rowan Pokémon Lab’s doors are always open for you.”

“T-thank you, professor…!” Mitsumi wasn’t sure why she felt like crying all the sudden, but her eyes clouded with tears.

“You’re quite welcome,” said the professor, “Now, go on! A world of dreams and adventures awaits you!”

Mitsumi tried hard not to _really_ cry as she picked up her Pokémon ( _her_ Pokémon! She felt a jolt every time she remembered that this Pokémon was real, and it was _hers_ ). She nodded respectfully to the professor and to his aides, biting her lip as she turned to leave.

“Um! Mitsumi!”

It was Lucas’ voice. She turned back around, sucking in her cheeks to keep a straight face.

“Do you know how to get back to Route 201 from here?”

“Kinda…?” She hadn’t really been paying attention on the way here, “I have a map, but…”

“Lucas, why don’t you walk with her back to Twinleaf?” said Lucas’ mother, “That way the professor will have some time to draft up his report, and you can get that package delivered.”

“What package–oh,” said Lucas, “The one you were telling me about earlier?”

“Yep. The item that Sinnoh’s former champion ordered special,” said Lucas’ father, “He’s off doing who knows what nowadays, but he still checks his mail at home every so often.”

“I guess, if it’s okay with her…” Lucas turned to Mitsumi.

“It’s okay,” she responded, smiling, “I wouldn’t mind the company.”

“Well, if you say so,” said Lucas. His mother handed him a brown parcel before he ran to join Mitsumi, “See you later, professor!”

The glass doors slid open, and Mitsumi and Lucas left the lab together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is Sinnoh's former champion? you will find outttttt


	5. The Lake Pokemon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas insists he knows where he's going, but Mitsumi doesn't really believe him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this chapter consisted of Lucas teaching Mitsumi how to catch a Pokemon, but i decided to eschew that (completely useless) tutorial in favor of something a little more plot-relevant. I dont think I ever show Mitsumi catching a Pokemon from here on, lmao….

Instead of going back the way Mitsumi had come, Lucas took her along a different route that would get them to the western edge of town faster. They made light conversation along the way, Mitsumi carrying Piplup in her arms, and Lucas’ Turtwig walking beside them. It didn’t take them very long before they came to the edge of a forest, with a sign indicating that they were venturing onto Route 201.

“Hey, I’ve been wondering,” said Mitsumi, “Who was Sinnoh’s former champion?”

“Huh? You don’t know?” Lucas looked at her incredulously, “How could you live in Twinleaf town and not know?”

“Well, I only just moved there…”

“Oh, that makes sense then,” said Lucas, “This guy Palmer from Twinleaf Town was Champion even when I was a kid. I saw him a few times since he was friends with the professor. I think he stepped down after someone beat him a few years ago, and I don’t know who the new person is yet…”

“Huh,” said Mitsumi. She had a hunch who it was, but the revelation that Palmer had been the champion was entirely new to her.

The trees began to rustle around them. A cold, biting wind swept through the path, and Mitsumi drew her arms more tightly around her Pokémon. After a while it died down, but she still felt chilled to the bone.

“Brr,” Lucas commented, arms crossed tightly, “This is unusual for the summer. Even if we’re farther north than other regions, it’s weird that the wind is still this cold at this time of year.”

“It’s summer?” asked Mitsumi, though she immediately felt like an idiot for saying it. The trees in full leaf had been an obvious indicator for what season it was here, though she’d been a bit thrown off by the snow.

“You wouldn’t think so, would you?” said Lucas, smiling. Evidently he’d thought she was joking, “In Sandgem it even snowed the other day–in _May_!”

“Yeah, there was snow in Twinleaf, too…” said Mitsumi, “Weird.”

“Super weird. It’s not just here, either,” Lucas continued, “Apparently it’s been weirdly cold everywhere in the region. I heard Snowpoint’s _spring_ hasn’t even started yet.”

“That IS weird…”

They continued along the path for a while, continuing to chat about this and that, and Mitsumi having to make up the answers to a lot of his questions. She was glad it was the _Pokémon_ world she’d woken up in, and not a world she wasn’t already intimately familiar with. She could at least pretend she’d lived here all her life.

After a while, though, Mitsumi got the feeling that something wasn’t right. She and Jun had only taken about a half hour to get to Sandgem, but she and Lucas had been walking for much longer than that.

“Hey, Lucas?” she said, “Are you sure we’re going the right way?”

“Huh? Yeah!” Lucas’ voice did not sound at all certain, “I’ve been to Twinleaf a couple of times, so…”

They came to a low ledge. Lucas jumped down, landing with little trouble. Mitsumi followed, but she didn’t exactly have any ledge-jumping experience. She lost her balance and ended up facedown in the grass, Piplup next to her.

“Ack! Mitsumi, are you okay…?!”

Lucas helped her up while Piplup brushed dirt from its feathers.

“I’m fine, but… where are we?”

The two of them looked around. The forest was a little denser here, and the air was cool. Pokémon called to each other from the trees.

“Um…” Lucas turned to her, “I think… we should go this way!”

He pointed ahead, to what seemed like a completely arbitrary choice.

“I have a map, you know,” said Mitsumi.

“No no, I’m sure this is the way. I’ve been here before. Follow me.”

“Alright, if you say so…”

After a few minutes the forest began to thin, and Lucas and Mitsumi found themselves on the shores of a still, clear lake. In the very center of the lake was a rocky island. The forest here was eerily silent; the Pokémon in the trees had long since stopped crying. There was neither the rustle of leaves nor the whispers of swaying grass. The water didn’t even seem to lap the shores.

“What is this place…?” Mitsumi found herself asking.

“Lake Verity…” said Lucas, “Um… I didn’t think we’d come this far.”

“So you _were_ lost–!”

“Shh!!” said Lucas. A flock of bird Pokémon abruptly left the trees behind them, startling them both. The sound of flapping wings grew fainter and fainter before disappearing into silence.

“This place gives me the creeps…” said Mitsumi.

“Pip pip,” said Piplup, drawing closer to Mitsumi’s boot.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mitsumi spotted a tall man in a suit standing at the lake’s edge not too far away. His ice-blue hair had caught her eye in particular. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, as if thinking about something.

“I will uncover your secrets one day…” he spoke quietly, but the forest was so still that Mitsumi and Lucas could hear him even from a distance, “Until then, sleep while you can, legendary Pokémon of the lake bed…”

The man turned to leave, and took notice of the two trainers. To Mitsumi’s surprise, he looked old and sunken. He walked toward them briskly.

“Allow me to pass,” he said coldly, “Step aside.”

“Y-yes sir!” Lucas scrambled to get out of the way, and Mitsumi was close behind him. The two of them watched as the stranger disappeared back down the path they’d come.

“Who was that guy?” asked Lucas as soon as he could be sure the man was out of earshot, “He sure was mean.”

Mitsumi had the unfortunate feeling that she’d seen him before–no, she was certain she knew who he was. But what was he doing here now? And why?

“We should head back to Twinleaf,” said Mitsumi, “And _this_ time we’ll use my map.”

“Yeah…” Lucas sighed in defeat, “Sorry for getting us lost, Mitsumi.”

“It’s fine,” she replied, though she expected Johanna would have a firm lecture for her when she got back, “Let’s get moving, though…”

Suddenly a strong wind blew up, and Mitsumi clapped a hand to her hat to keep it from flying away. The rustling of leaves was practically deafening compared to the silence from before–but above the din, Mitsumi thought she heard a peculiar cry.

“Did you hear that?” she asked. Lucas nodded nervously.

She looked toward the lake, thinking the cry might have come from the legendary Pokémon living there. If this was Lake Verity, then that Pokémon was surely Mesprit, the being of emotion; Mitsumi remembered that much from the games. For a brief moment, she thought she saw something stirring below the surface of the lake–no, not below the surface; it appeared almost as though it was a reflection on the surface itself. It was much too large to have been the sprightly Mesprit, but it faded from view before Mitsumi could get a closer look.

“I don’t like this,” said Lucas, “C’mon, Mitsumi, let’s get out of here.”

“Right.”

Mitsumi took one last look at the lake–whatever it was had long disappeared–before following Lucas back into the forest and away.

* * *

The walk back to Twinleaf was much quicker thanks to Mitsumi’s map. They managed to find the address scrawled on the former champion’s package, and arrived at a house that Mitsumi thought she’d seen earlier that morning.

“Well, that’s that, then,” said Lucas, stuffing the parcel into the mailbox, “Guess I’d better get going back to Sandgem. It was nice meeting you, Mitsumi.”

“Yeah, same,” Mitsumi smiled back, “Maybe I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, maybe… I do a lot of work for the professor, so I spend most of my time around here anyway. If you ever see me around, feel free to say hi.”

“Will do.”

Lucas tipped his cap to her and turned to leave, walking back down the lane with Turtwig close behind. Mitsumi watched him go for a few minutes before turning back to her own Pokémon.

“Let’s go home, Piplup,” she said, “Hm, maybe I should give you a nickname…”

“Lup! Lup!” her Pokémon answered.


	6. Unease

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something fishy's going on here...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally this was the chapter where i wanted to hammer it home that something was Not Right Here

When Mitsumi came into the house, she could hear Johanna talking happily to a woman Mitsumi could only assume was a friend of hers. A rabbit-like Buneary sat on the table, chatting with her mother’s Glameow. Mitsumi took her boots off and stepped inside, putting the bags of berries on the table.

“I’m home!” said Mitsumi.

“Hello, dear,” said Johanna, “You don’t mind if Keira is here, do you? She decided to come by a little early to see if I needed help with anything for dinner tonight.”

“Keira…” the name sounded familiar, “You mean the contest judge?”

“You’ve met her before, dear,” said Johanna.

“Oh.”

“Did you get the berries I asked for?” Johanna came over to inspect the bags, “Hm, looks like everything’s here. Good. And–is that Pokémon _yours_ , Mitsumi!?”

Johanna had caught sight of Mitsumi’s Piplup, which was struggling to climb up onto one of the empty chairs at the table.

“Oh, er,” Mitsumi flushed nervously, picking up her Pokémon, “I kind of went to the Pokémon Lab on the way back… sorry for not asking first.”

Mitsumi looked down, bracing herself for a scolding, but it never came. She looked back up to see Johanna smiling at her, something indescribable in her expression.

“Mitsumi…” she said, “Much as I would have liked to be there to see you get your first Pokémon… I couldn’t be prouder of you, dear. I’ve been waiting for you to become a trainer for a long time.”

“Um…” Mitsumi wasn’t sure how to respond to that, “I’m, uh, glad then…”

“Were you planning on going on a journey, too?” asked Johanna.

Mitsumi thought about it for a second, but then met her mother’s gaze.

“Yes,” she answered, “I want to travel Sinnoh. I want to visit new places and meet all kinds of people and Pokémon. I haven’t decided if I want to pursue contests or challenge gyms, but I definitely want to travel with Piplup.”

Mitsumi wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw tears coming to Johanna’s eyes.

“I can still remember the day I became a Pokémon trainer,” she said, “And now you’re going on your very own adventure, just like your father and I did…”

Johanna wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

“When were you planning to leave?” she asked.

“Tomorrow,” said Mitsumi resolutely. She figured that if she left the next day, she wouldn’t get too attached to Johanna and her new home–if she was even still _here_ tomorrow. Some part of her still wasn’t convinced that this all was anything more than a vivid dream. If she woke up here again tomorrow, her priority would then be finding out what had happened to her, and if there was a way to go back. Even though she always dreamed of going on a journey with Pokémon, she wasn’t sure she liked the cost it came with. As kind as Johanna was, she could never replace Mitsumi’s real mother.

“Well, alright,” said Johanna, “I wasn’t expecting to see you go so soon, but… Well, you’d better go get ready. Don’t forget to pack plenty of water–and clean underwear!”

“ _Mom_ ,” Mitsumi sighed, forgetting for a moment that Johanna wasn’t actually her mother, “C’mon, Piplup, let’s go to my room. Maybe I’ll decide on a name for you?”

“Lup! Lup!”

Mitsumi and her Pokémon headed upstairs, leaving the two adults back at the table. As soon as she heard the door to Mitsumi’s room close, Keira turned to Johanna.

“Did something happen to your daughter?” she asked.

“I don’t know…” Johanna’s expression darkened, “She’s been acting very strangely since she woke up this morning. Her attitude was completely different, and she didn’t seem to know where we were, even though we moved two months ago. She even…” Johanna paused, fighting a lump in her throat, “She even forgot her father was dead.”

“Goodness,” said Keira, “I wonder if it’s amnesia? We’ve met a few times before, but she didn’t even recognize me this time…”

“Could be,” said Johanna, “But it was so _sudden_. She went to bed last night just the same as usual.”

“It’s strange how _pleasant_ she is now,” said Keira, “The last time I saw your daughter, she barely said a word to me other than ‘whatever’. ”

“She’d been like that since her father died,” said Johanna, “She used to be such a sweet girl, but when he died, she completely withdrew into herself. I figured it was a natural part of the grieving process, but she’s been the same gloomy girl for years now. I thought that moving out of our old house would make her open up a little. I was wrong. She only got worse… She even told me that Twinleaf was boring, and she wished we hadn’t moved at all.”

“How awful,” said Keira, “Now I’m just concerned about how long this new Mitsumi will last.”

“Me too,” said Johanna, “Before today, she had absolutely no interest in Pokémon or Pokémon training. She thought they were a waste of time. Instead she only wanted to be left alone, and spent most of her time playing games in her room.”

“But now look at her,” said Kiera, “Suddenly she goes out and gets a Pokémon, and wants to go on a journey… it makes no sense.”

“I’m so afraid that she’ll wake up tomorrow and be herself again,” said Johanna, “I hate to say it, but… I’d be devastated. I’m especially worried about her Pokémon. What if she wakes up tomorrow as her old self again, and kicks the poor thing out?”

“I suppose we’ll just have to see…” said Keira, “Anyway, why don’t we get going on dinner? Those Poffins aren’t going to bake themselves!”

“You’re right, they’re not,” Johanna seemed to cheer up a little, “Now, where did I put my Poffin maker…?

 


	7. An Adventure is Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starting off on a journey in a new land... what awaits our heroine from here?

_Can you hear me…?_

_It’s no good, I can’t hold–!!_

_Mitsumi!!_

 

_Starly, Starly! Wake up, wake up!_

Mitsumi opened her eyes slowly. She looked to her side, where the Starly alarm clock sat on the nightstand. She reached over and disabled the alarm, yawning. For some reason, she felt like she’d dreamed about something, but couldn’t remember what.

She turned to her other side, where her Pokémon was sleeping soundly next to her.

_I guess it wasn’t all a dream after all. So that means… I’m still here in the Pokémon world._

_And I have a lot of work to do._

Mitsumi got dressed and double-checked that she’d packed her bag the previous night: a change of clothes, a pajama shirt, plenty of extra underwear, and her toiletries in the main pocket; a potion that she’d found in the item storage system on her computer, the five Pokéballs that the professor had given her, her map and Pokédex in another. Compared to what a well-prepared trainer carried, it was only a bare minimum. Her bag still seemed to have ample room for any items she might pick up, and she could use the PC to store any items she didn’t need. Not having to lug around every little thing she picked up would be a godsend in the future.

Excited as she was to begin her Pokémon journey–she got chills every time she thought about it–Mitsumi still felt a little nervous. What if walking everywhere wasn’t fast enough, and she didn’t reach a city by nightfall? What if wild Pokémon attacked at night–or worse, people?

Mitsumi only had to look at her Piplup for her fears to be eased. As long as she had Pokémon, she wasn’t alone.

Mitsumi and Piplup made their way downstairs. Johanna was all smiles, standing by a table laden with breakfast food.

“Honey…” she said, “I’m so proud of you…”

“Aww, mom,” said Mitsumi, “If you make it too mushy, I won’t want to go…”

_Actually, the mushier you make it, the more I want to bolt._

“I can’t help it!” gushed Johanna, “All these years, I’ve been so worried that you’d never be a Pokémon trainer… and now, well, I’m just so happy for you!”

“ _Mom_ …”

“Aw, honey,” said Johanna, wiping a few tears away, “Well, anyway, I made you your favorite for breakfast again. This could be the last time you have mom’s famous Oran pancakes for a while, so eat up!”

Mitsumi tried not to wolf her breakfast, but she was so excited and so hungry that she made it through four pancakes before realizing she ought to slow down. Johanna had even set out a bowl of Pokémon food for Piplup, and though it was reluctant to accept the food at first, it soon gave in to its rumbling belly and chowed down with its trainer.

After breakfast, Mitsumi slung her bag over her shoulder and headed to the door. Johanna followed and looked on solemnly as Mitsumi put on her boots.

“Mitsumi,” she said, “No matter what you choose to do as a trainer… have fun, all right? And don’t forget to call me sometimes. I do worry about you. You know our new number, right?”

“Uh…” said Mitsumi, “No…?”

Johanna took a piece of paper off a side table and scribbled some numbers on it before handing it to Mitsumi. It was twelve numbers, arranged in three sets of four–not unlike the Friend Codes that Pokémon players in Mitsumi’s world used to connect with each other. Mitsumi pocketed the paper, hoping she wouldn’t lose it.

“Call often to let me know how you are,” said Johanna.

“I won’t forget,” said Mitsumi. _Hopefully._

_“_ Well, here it is…” said Johanna, “I suppose that all girls dream of traveling… Oh! Before you leave, take this too.”

Johanna went over to a bookshelf by the mantel. Most of the shelves were filled with issues of a magazine called _Contest Insider_. There were a few cookbooks and romance novels as well, along with a few more serious-looking books that may have belonged to Johanna’s late husband. From a far right shelf, Johanna took a thin, leather-bound book and handed it to Mitsumi, along with the pen from the side table.

“It’s a brand-new journal, just for you,” said Johanna, smiling distantly, “When I was on my Pokémon journey, I kept a journal so I wouldn’t forget what happened each day. I filled three of those books, and I let my mother read them whenever I came home. That way, she didn’t have to feel bad about not being with me on my journey.”

“Oh…” Mitsumi made a note not to include any inter-dimensional travel anxiety in her diary, “Thanks, mom.”

Johanna swept Mitsumi into her arms and held her for a long time.

“Be safe, Mitsumi,” she said, “And have fun out there.”

“Don’t worry, mom. I will.”

Not too long afterward, Mitsumi and Piplup were on the road. Mitsumi could hardly believe what had happened in the span of twenty-four hours. She’d gone to sleep one night and woken up in a fictional world made real. Everything had happened so quickly: she’d made new friends, walked to a new city, discovered an enchanted lake, and even gotten her own Pokémon… It was still a little hard to believe.

Mitsumi was starting to like this new life, all things considered. Having a Pokémon of her own was a dream come true, and Sinnoh seemed like the kind of place where a girl could go on an adventure without having to worry about traveling alone. Some part of her was afraid that one morning she would wake up and be back in her own world, with the alarm clock jerking her awake for school. At the same time, she missed her real family. Were they missing her? She could only wonder what was going on at her home back in Colorado. The ‘Mitsumi’ whose life she’d been sucked into… what was going through her head now, in the real world? Was she even there at all?

Mitsumi waved her worries away. She herself was here, in this world. She may as well enjoy it while she could.

She looked at her Pokémon. Piplup gazed back up at her curiously.

“Charles,” she said, “That’s what I’m going to name you, I think.”

“Piplup pip!” Piplup seemed satisfied with this name.

A chilly wind blew up, playing in Mitsumi’s hair. She looked east, toward the mountains looming in the distance.

What awaited her from here?


	8. Pokemon Center

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having made it to Jubilife city, Mitsumi stops for a rest at the Pokemon Center.

The walk back to Sandgem went quickly; even though Mitsumi and Piplup had to fight off wild Pokémon, most of them succumbed after one or two hits. They stopped at the Pokémon Center to heal before heading out towards the next route. Mitsumi grabbed a sandwich from a corner store on the way out of town, just in case she needed it for lunch later.

Route 202 looked short on the map, but Mitsumi soon discovered that it was a trail that weaved up and around insurmountable ledges. The path was covered in unavoidable patches of tall grass–and where there wasn’t tall grass, trainers loitered around looking for a fight. Mitsumi managed to catch a second Pokémon, the lion cub-like Shinx, so that Piplup wouldn’t have to do all the work in fights. Between fighting trainers and fending off wild Pokémon, it took her most of the morning to reach Jubilife City.

Jubilife was the sprawling metropolis that Mitsumi remembered from the games, multiplied by ten: high-rises framed the streets even on the edge of town, and the skyscrapers of downtown loomed in the north. She had her head on a swivel as she made her way to the Pokémon Center, map in hand. Piplup stayed close at her side, equally curious about its surroundings.

Luckily, it didn’t take long to reach the Pokémon Center. Mitsumi had her Pokémon healed, and afterwards let Shinx out of its Pokéball. Her new Pokémon didn’t seem to dislike her, even after having to weaken it before capturing it. It greeted Piplup with a friendly mewl, and Piplup chirped back amicably.

Mitsumi took a look around the Pokémon Center. Escalators led both upstairs and down, though Mitsumi couldn’t imagine what was on the other floors. There had been an advertisement for spare rooms near the front desk, so perhaps that’s where the escalators led. There were also a few trainers loafing around; most of them pretty young, and with common Pokémon. One standout of the group was a light-haired older boy with a lobster-like Crawdaunt at his side, but most of the other trainers looked fairly inexperienced. Some were even wearing school uniforms.

“I bet I look like a total newb…” said Mitsumi to herself, “But I only got my first Pokémon yesterday, so…”

“Pip, pip,” Piplup chirped in agreement.

After eating her sandwich at the Pokémon Center (and discovering that the center offered low-cost buffet meals for trainers), Mitsumi left to explore. She had her map in one hand, Piplup riding in her bag, and Shinx at her heels. According to the map, there was no shortage of things to do in Jubilife: there was the Pokétch Company building, Jubilife TV, a Trainer’s School (which was probably where all those young trainers in uniforms came from), and a place called the Global Terminal. There was even a Contest Hall here, which surprised her–in the games all Pokémon Contests were held in a single city, at a sort of Contest headquarters.

Mitsumi wandered aimlessly, unsure where she wanted to go first. People waved to her occasionally as she walked, but she didn’t recognize any of them, so she awkwardly waved back. She wondered if these people were friends of the ‘Mitsumi’ whose place she’d taken; hadn’t Johanna said they used to live in Jubilife?

After an hour or so of wandering, Mitsumi came to a park square with a fountain. She let her Pokémon have a drink, and Piplup dove right in for a swim. As she watched her Pokémon play in the water, she couldn’t help but notice a pair of oddly-dressed teal-haired men with bowl cuts loitering around. She bristled at the sight of them. If they were who she thought they were, she would have to keep an eye on them in the future.

Mitsumi and her Pokémon headed back to the Pokémon Center to regroup. There had been a rack of brochures near the lounge area; Mitsumi hoped they would advertise other things to do in the city. So far, other than the Contest Hall, nothing had piqued her interest.

Mitsumi took several of the brochures and sat down at a table with her Pokémon. Despite its size, Jubilife didn’t have a gym; instead, it seemed to be a hub for brand-new trainers to learn the basics. There was a brochure advertising Pokémon Dress-up at Jubilife TV, and one touting the convenience of trading Pokémon worldwide using the Global Terminal. Just as she was thinking of getting up to explore more, another trainer sat down at the table: it was the light-haired trainer from earlier, his Crawdaunt nearby.

“Hm? Oh, if you’re about to leave, don’t let me stop you,” he said.

“It’s fine,” said Mitsumi, “That’s a cool Crawdaunt you have.”

“Oh, you know Crawdaunt?” said the boy, “I’m impressed. Not a lot of people from Sinnoh have seen one before.”

“Well…” Mitsumi smiled awkwardly.

_I’m not exactly from Sinnoh…_

“I’m Terry, by the way,” said the boy. He held his hand out to her, “I’m from Littleroot in Hoenn. You?”

“That’s a long way,” said Mitsumi. She remembered Littleroot as the player’s starting town in the previous generation of Pokémon games, “I’m Mitsumi, from Twinleaf.”

The two of them shook hands.

“Nice to meet you,” said Terry, “I’m fresh off the boat from Johto, so I’m still scoping out what there is to do here.”

“I just started my journey this morning,” said Mitsumi, “So I guess we’re in the same place, huh?”

“Wow, you only just started?” Terry nodded to himself, “I remember when I first started out… heh, I hate sounding like an old man, but sometimes I just can’t help myself around newbie trainers.”

“How old are you, Terry?” asked Mitsumi.

“Twenty-three,” Terry grinned playfully, “I look good for an old man, eh?”

“ _You’re not old at all!!”_ Mitsumi shot back, though truthfully, he was much older than she was at fifteen.

Terry laughed.

“Hard to believe I’ve been on this journey for nine years, though…” Terry said distantly, “Still more places to see and Pokémon to meet… and it feels like I’ve only just started.”

He smiled at her.

“I bet you’re not looking for some advice on your first day, but I have some if you want it.”

“I’ll take it,” said Mitsumi. Part of her didn’t think she needed his advice, as she’d been playing Pokémon games for as long as she could remember. At the same time, this wasn’t a game anymore–the real world didn’t operate on pre-set coding.

“Huh, wasn’t expecting you’d go for it,” said Terry, “Well, in that case: make sure you learn from every battle–even the ones you win. It’s like, I don’t know… for me, it feels like you can really learn a lot about someone from how they battle. And I’ve found that no knowledge you gain from battles is useless, even the small stuff.”

Mitsumi nodded.

“That makes sense.”

“Good,” said Terry, “If you’re constantly honing your skills and your strategy, you’ll be a top trainer in no time–whether it’s gyms or contests or whatever that you’re going for.”

“Thanks,” Mitsumi replied, “I’ll try to keep it in mind.”

Terry grinned.

“So you said you’re from Hoenn,” said Mitsumi, “What’s it like there?”

“It’s totally different from Sinnoh, that’s for sure,” said Terry, “It’s so cold up here in Sinnoh! Hoenn is in the tropics, so it’s warm all year round…”

The two of them talked for the rest of the afternoon, and ate dinner together in the cafeteria. Mitsumi had had friends who liked Pokémon back in her old life, but nobody who was as into it as she was. She felt like she hadn’t had a conversation this long about Pokémon in a long time. By the time she and Terry parted ways before bedtime, she was as pleased as she was exhausted.

Before bed, Mitsumi used the public phone in the Pokémon Center to call Johanna–she supposed she might as well let the woman know she made it to the next town safely. She showed Johanna her new Pokémon, but warned her that she may not always remember to call.

“That’s fine, dear,” said Johanna, “As long as you check in every once in a while to let me know how you’re doing, I won’t mind if you don’t call every day.”

_Good,_ thought Mitsumi, _Now I won’t feel bad about not calling… Sorry, Johanna, but I don’t know if I’m ready to think of you as my mom._

The first day of her journey had passed quickly, and Mitsumi still felt no closer to understanding what had happened. Well, she’d hardly expected to find any clues on her first day–especially since she’d only seen a fraction of the Sinnoh region so far.

“I just have to relax,” said Mitusmi to her Pokémon as she got ready for bed, “I don’t know how I got here, but there’s no use stressing over it until I find out. So… I just gotta relax.”

How many more times would she have to repeat that to herself before she truly felt comfortable here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terry is an OC of mine who appears in my [Hoenn Memories](https://archiveofourown.org/series/216803) stories. Including Terry was mostly an attempt to place PMP within the larger framework of my fic continuity (if you're new to the party, all my Pokemon fics exist on one timeline. because I love suffering, clearly). If Terry is 23, then Laura is 22, and Mae is 18–so, about midway through Delta Emerald. Mitsumi, who is fifteen now, will be 18 by the time she cameos in BW2.


	9. The Reverse World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up in yet another unfamiliar place, Mitsumi begins to wonder if she's cursed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo when I was revising this fic I realized that I didn't want to spend time on every little scene from the original--because frankly, those weren't interesting to me, and I didn't have a lot of time to commit to the project to begin with. But I still wanted the story to have some narrative cohesion. To compromise, I decided to just summarize the stuff I didn't want to get to in detail. *shrugging emoji*
> 
> Also this chapter marks the introduction of [a character probably 3 people other than me still remember lmao](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Zero). In the original he wore that same jumpsuit, but in the revision he wears [the outfit i designed for him](https://quilofire.deviantart.com/art/memory-lane-546940339) instead.

_Mitsumi met up with Lucas in front of the contest hall, where he expressed desire to be a coordinator. Just then Professor Rowan came up and gave Lucas permission to try a contest when they’re finished with their paper. Team Galactic arrived to steal Rowan’s research, and after battling Mitsumi and Lucas, they were handily defeated. The three of them headed to the Pokémon Center, where they ran into a mysterious man in a coat. The man identified himself as Handsome, and told them to keep an eye out for suspicious activity._

_Mitsumi left for Oreburgh the following morning. She made it into town, and explored a bit before coming back to the Pokémon Center for the night…_

 

_“What is this place…?”_

Mitsumi found herself standing on an island of land in an ocean of sky. There were other such islands as far as the eye could see, dotting an almost imperceptible horizon. It was impossible to determine what was up or down. The sky stretched below her the same as above, a perfect mirror of itself.

Mitsumi took a step forward, but her leg moved awkwardly, and it took some doing to set it back down. Mitsumi wondered if this is what it would be like to walk on the moon–but this was certainly no moon, not with grass and trees and sky. She struggled to take a couple more steps forward. What was this place, anyway?

“Excuse me,” said a voice, “You must be Mitsumi.”

Mitsumi jumped and turned towards the source of the voice. It belonged to a tall, silver-haired man who looked to be in his late twenties. He wore a grey and black coat and gold gloves, and he smiled at her amicably–yet she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something was off about him.

“Wh-who are you?” asked Mitsumi, her voice coming out smaller than she would have liked, “Where am I–and how do you know my name?”

“This is the Reverse World,” the man responded, “It is directly opposite the world you know as the Pokémon World. To me, it is home.”

Mitsumi looked around. What with the strange scenery around her, the name “Reverse World” made enough sense. She knew that the Reverse World would play a role in the upcoming Pokémon movie back home… could this be the same world? It certainly looked similar to the one she’d seen in promotional pictures…

“My name is Zero,” continued the man, “I have been waiting to meet you, Mitsumi.”

“And that’s another thing,” said Mitsumi, “How do you know my name?”

“That is of little importance. When the time comes, I will tell you–but for now, I have a lot to explain, and not a lot of time. Please come with me. My house is not far from here.”

Mitsumi looked around, but all she saw were more bare islands, some with the occasional tree.

“Where–?”

“Below here,” said Zero, “We can leap from one island to the next. With gravity here the way it is, there is little to worry about.”

Zero walked to the far edge of the island and turned back to Mitsumi. He held his hand out to her.

“Coming?” he asked. Mitsumi wasn’t sure she could trust him, but what choice did she have? She still couldn’t be sure if this was reality or a dream, and this wouldn’t have been the first time she’d woken up in another dimension. She approached him and carefully took his hand, noticing that she only came up to his shoulder.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” said Zero, “I’ve got you. Now… let’s take a step.”

Zero nonchalantly stepped off the edge, and Mitsumi followed. The two of them floated down to an island below and landed softly on the grass. Zero led her to the edge and jumped upwards, taking Mitsumi with him. They landed safely on another island. They repeated this process a few times until they came to a larger island with a single house on it–if it could be called that. It looked sort of like an accordion with windows and a door. The house stretched upwards until it connected with an identical house on the island above them. Mitsumi half-expected to see themselves reflected above, but there was no one there.

“Here we are,” said Zero. He let go of Mitsumi’s hand and opened the door, “I’ll get you something to drink. Watch your step on the way in.”

Seeing no stairs to watch out for, Mitsumi stepped inside without hesitating. Her suddenly heavy foot hit the floor hard, and she stumbled a little. It seemed that inside the house, gravity had returned to normal.

“This is really weird…” she said.

“Isn’t it?” said Zero, “The Reverse World has many such quirks that make it so enjoyable. Now, the sitting room is to your right, through that door.”

Mitsumi went through the door in question. The room beyond was surprisingly… normal. Pictures hung on the walls, there was a fairly unassuming light fixture in the center of the ceiling, and a big window opened up to a view of the Reverse World. Even the furniture looked normal, if not a little outdated from the upholstery. None of these things looked like they’d been touched in a long time. Mitsumi sat down on one of the couches, eyes roving around the room. She noticed that the picture frames were, in fact, empty: the pictures in them were the product labels included when they were bought.

A shiver ran down her spine. _This just keeps getting weirder and weirder…_

Soon Zero joined her, carrying a couple of earthenware cups filled with water. He set the cups down on the coffee table in the center of the room before sitting down on a couch opposite Mitsumi.

“Is water alright?” he asked, “This world doesn’t have the luxury of markets or convenience stores, so unfortunately it’s all I have to offer…”

“Um…” said Mitsumi. She had really wanted an explanation for what was going on, “It’s fine.”

For a few minutes, the room was silent as the two of them sipped their water. After a while, Zero set down his cup and watched Mitsumi finish hers.

“Mitsumi” he said as she put her cup on the table, “Let me explain a little about where we are.”

Mitsumi looked at him attentively.

“You may find this all hard to believe, but please bear with me,” began Zero, “The Reverse World exists on the other side of your world, inextricably connected to it in ways that normal people never notice.”

“Huh…”

“To give an example,” Zero continued, “You’ve been on a journey for a few days now. Tell me: how tidy were the paths you walked on?”

“Uh…? In what way?”

“Was there any litter? Waste?”

Mitsumi thought about it for a minute, but she realized that so far, Sinnoh’s countryside had been completely pristine. Not a scrap of litter or trash had caught her attention; not even in urban hubs like Jubilife. Aside from the occasional trash can, it almost seemed as though garbage was nonexistent.

“No… now that you mention it, that’s weird.”

Zero smiled.

“The reason is simple, though it may be hard to believe,” he said, “The truth is that this world absorbs all the waste and pollution that appears in the real world, so that the real world can remain beautiful. As pollutants pass through the barrier between the real world and this one, they’re converted into energy and nutrients, which are then put back into the soil and air in your world. The Reverse World also keeps some of that energy for itself to sustain life here.”

“That’s amazing,” said Mitsumi.

“Yes,” said Zero, “But be careful while you are here. As I said, the two worlds are inextricably connected. Anything you do or touch here will affect the real world in some way.”

Mitsumi froze, gripping her cup tightly.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I should have specified,” said Zero, “Certain things in this world will affect the real world more than others. You don’t need to worry for the moment; nothing in this house will have a noticeable effect on your world. Please, make yourself at home.”

“Phew,” said Mitsumi sighed and sunk back a little into the couch, “What an odd place.”

“Odd it may be,” said Zero, “But it is very beautiful, in its own way.”

Mitsumi nodded.

“Mitsumi,” said Zero, “Your name is not the only thing I know about you. You are not originally from the Sinnoh region, correct? In fact, you’re not even from the world that I’ve been referring to as the real world.”

Mitsumi’s eyes widened.

“H-how… did you know…?”

“Again, that is not important for now,” said Zero, “The main thing is for you to know that your being here–in this reality–is not an accident.”

Mitsumi nearly dropped her cup. She stared at him in disbelief, wishing she could rewind the last few seconds to be sure she’d heard him correctly.

_He knows something about how I got here….!_

“In any case…” Zero indicated to the window, “Let me show you something. Do you see that purple cloud in the distance?”

Mitsumi followed his gaze. In the distance she could see the purple cloud he described, a swirling, unnatural thing that made her stomach twist. There were quite a few of them.

“What are they?” she asked.

“Pollution,” said Zero, grimacing.

“But I thought you said–”

“That’s the problem,” said Zero, “Someone, or something, has damaged the barrier between the Reverse and real worlds. Because of that, pollution now flows in unfiltered, clogging this beautiful world with filth. As a result, the pollution is causing temperatures to rise here, and thus making temperatures in your world fall…”

“So _that’s_ why it’s been so cold,” said Mitsumi.

“Yes,” said Zero. He looked straight into her eyes, “And if something isn’t done, and quickly, the results could be disastrous. Your world could be plunged into an ice age, while mine chokes with smog… that’s just the beginning of what I fear could happen.”

“So… why does it seem like you aren’t doing anything?” asked Mitsumi.

Zero smiled mirthlessly.

“The Reverse World is very sensitive,” he said, “When the barrier was damaged, this world went into a sort of lockdown to prevent the damage from spreading. As a result… I am effectively trapped here. Much as I’d like to get to the bottom of this myself, I cannot.”

Zero looked directly into her eyes.

“Tensions are rising here. That is why you have come to Sinnoh.”

Mitsumi nodded. It was obvious he wasn’t telling her everything he knew, but she had the feeling she wouldn’t get very far by asking.

“I have to save this world,” Zero continued, “This place is my home, and it means everything to me. But I cannot do this alone. That is why I need your help. If we work together, we might be able to put a stop to this.”

“What can I do?” said Mitsumi.

“I’d like you to look into anything that could have caused damage of this magnitude,” said Zero, “Damaging a barrier between dimensions is no small feat. If anything suspicious is going on in Sinnoh, I want you to see if there could be a connection somewhere. But for now, I’m afraid that we must part. The time that I can talk with you is limited.”

“Zero…” said Mitsumi, “Will I hear from you again?”

“Our destinies are intertwined,” said Zero, nodding distantly, “There is no telling when, but have no doubt that you will find yourself here again another time…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My main goal for reworking the Reverse World chapters was to tone down Zero’s advances; in rereading my old work I discovered that I’d made Zero way more touchy-feely than Mitsumi would realistically have been comfortable with. I’ve scaled back a lot of his interactions with her so that their relationship progresses more naturally.


	10. Floaroma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time, her dream is quite a bit more urgent than before...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original fic had a ton more filler between these two Reverse World chapters but for the revision I wasnt really interested in redoing them.

_The next day, Mitsumi set out for another day on the town, thinking little of her dream. She caught another Pokémon and took on the gym; with her new Budew and Piplup, she was able to beat Roark easily. Though she wasn’t sure she wanted to pursue badges, she still felt a hint of pride receiving her first real badge. Before leaving Oreburgh the next day, she battled Jun and won in a close fight. There she made to return his map, but he told her to keep it, as he’d already gone and bought another one without thinking._

_Mitsumi then headed north, toward Floaroma town. She met a friendly Bronzor in the cave at Ravaged Path that lit the way for her with its glowing eyes. After exiting the cave with her, Bronzor decided to join her on her journey._

_In Floaroma, Mitsumi heard rumors of Team Galactic making trouble, and decided to keep her guard up just in case. She went to an open-air market where vendors sold flowers of every kind imaginable. At one stall she met Layla, who told her the history of Floroama town: it was once a barren wasteland, but one day a stranger traveled through and expressed gratitude for his journey, and the whole land burst into bloom. Thinking about this, Mitsumi realized she had a lot to be thankful for already. When she admitted this, Layla offered her a Gracidea flower: a flower that people in Sinnoh use to express gratitude to each other. Mitsumi bought it and pressed it in her journal to keep it safe, wondering if she would ever have occasion to give it to someone._

_That night, she headed back to the Pokémon Center to rest for the day ahead…_

 

_This place… again?_

Mitsumi had been sure she went to bed in the Floaroma Pokémon Center, her Pokémon by her side. Now, wide awake, she was standing in a place that seemed hauntingly familiar. The sky surrounded her on all sides, and patches of land dotted the horizon.

“This is the Reverse World… right?” said Mitsumi, “So then… is this a dream, too?”

She’d dreamed about this place once before–how could she forget? It had been so clear in her memory when she awoke that she’d wondered if it was a dream at all.

Suddenly there was a tap on her shoulder.

“Mitsumi?”

Mitsumi jumped and turned around. Behind her was the handsome man from before, coattails swishing in the breeze. Somehow, in the back of her mind, Mitsumi had been hoping to dream about Zero again, even though she couldn’t explain why.

He smiled at her cordially, though there was a sort of urgency in his eyes.

“Oh good, you’re here,” he said, “I don’t have as much time as I did last time, and I have something very important to show you. We’ll have to talk quickly.”

“Okay…?” said Mitsumi.

“Come with me; it’s not far from here.”

Zero held his hand out to her, just as he had before, and she took it somewhat reluctantly. His hand felt warm through the fabric of his glove.

They did not have far to walk. Zero took her across to another island nearby and came to a stop in front of a glassy bubble hovering a few feet in the air.

“It’s so pretty…” said Mitsumi, “What is it?”

“It’s a bubble,” Zero explained, “There’s a fancier term for them, but ‘bubble’ gets to the point. These bubbles are windows to the real world, and they correspond to reflective surfaces on the other side. Under the right circumstances, they can be manipulated into portals between worlds–not now, of course, since the Reverse World is in lockdown.”

“I kinda wanna touch it…” said Mitsumi.

“Absolutely not,” said Zero, “These bubbles are just as fragile as they look. If you pop it, an explosion will occur on the other side. Remember that everything you do here affects the real world in some way.”

“Jeez…” Mitsumi backed up a little to give the bubble more space.

“What’s important right now isn’t the bubble itself, but what’s _inside_ it,” Zero continued, “Look closely. What do you see?”

Mitsumi leaned forward a little for a better look. An image became clearer the longer she looked: a building surrounded by wind turbines and swaying grass, its windows lit up in the darkness of night. From their vantage point, it almost felt like she was looking at the screen of a Pokémon game–just one with very realistic graphics.

“I know that place…” said Mitsumi, “The Valley Windworks?”

“That’s correct,” said Zero, “Look even closer.”

Mitsumi squinted, trying to make out smaller details without getting too close. There were people surrounding the building… but who would be out at this late hour? They all seemed to be dressed similarly. One of them passed by a lit window, his hair flashing teal.

“No way…” said Mitsumi, “Team Galactic?”

“So that’s what they call themselves…” Zero mused, hand to his chin. He looked back at her, “Mitsumi… I understand if you doubted me last time, but this time you must believe me. What’s happening in the bubble is _actually happening_ in the real world.”

Mitsumi wasn’t sure if she could really believe him, serious as he sounded, but she nodded anyway. After all, this was only a dream, right…?

“This Team Galactic…” Zero continued, “I don’t like the sound of them. I have the feeling they’re up to something terrible. Mitsumi: when you wake up, I need you to go to the Windworks and find out what’s going on. You may have to intervene personally to stop Team Galactic. I’d go myself, but if you recall, I can’t leave this world.”

“Right, yeah,” said Mitsumi.

“I know it’s hard to believe,” said Zero, “But I need you to trust me. These dreams about the Reverse World aren’t just any old dreams: they are the most important link between your world and mine. If we work together, we might be able to save both of our worlds. All I ask is that you trust me and do as I say.”

Mitsumi paused to think about it.  He could have similarly nefarious intentions as Team Galactic’s, but somehow, it didn’t seem like that was the case. She supposed he could trust him, if he even existed at all–she still couldn’t convince herself that this was more than an ordinary dream.

“Alright,” said Mitsumi, “I’ll do it. Let’s work together, Zero.”

Zero’s face lit up.

“Thank you…” he said, “I’m so relieved…!”

He took both of Mitsumi’s hands in his and clasped them tightly.

“You’re my only hope,” he said, “I’m counting on you. Let’s get to the bottom of this, and quickly.”

Mitsumi nodded.

“Ah–we’re just about out of time,” Zero released her hands just as the dream began to collapse around them. She caught one last glimpse of his face before everything faded to darkness.

“Until we meet again, Mitsumi.”


	11. Eterna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After discovering that the vision in her dream was really happening, Mitsumi realizes she can trust that "Zero," whoever he is. At least for now...

_Mitsumi woke from her dream without thinking much of it, but as she left the Pokémon Center she noticed that something was very wrong. The entire town was talking about a disturbance at the Windworks. Mitsumi rushed to the scene, heart pounding, only to find that things had come to pass exactly as she’d dreamed them. There she ran into the investigator from before, Handsome, who was undercover as a Team Galactic member. The two of them decided to work together, and he escorted her into the building. There she faced off with one of Team Galactic’s administrators, a woman named Mars, and defeated her. Mars leveled a few threats against her, but another Team Galactic member stepped in. Mitsumi had recognized Mars from the games, but the newcomer was new: his name was Charon, and he seemed to have some authority over Mars. The latter backed off, and Team Galactic made its escape._

_Though Mitsumi had saved the day this time, the encounter left her feeling more confused than ever. Who was this Charon? What did Team Galactic want with all the energy they were siphoning off from the Windworks? And, perhaps most pressing of all was the revelation that these dreams she’d been having weren’t just any old dreams. Mitsumi now had reason to believe that there really was a Reverse World on the other side of this one, and a man named Zero really was trapped there. But who was he…?_

_Mitsumi set out for the next town the following morning, trying her best not to think about the myriad of questions she had yet to answer. As she reached the outskirts of Eterna Forest, she met a trainer named Cheryl, who was looking for someone to venture into the forest with her. As the girls walked, Cheryl mentioned that she was pursuing badges, but didn’t think her current team would be able to beat the grass-type gym in Eterna City. Mitsumi recommended capturing a poison-type Pokémon, and the two of them kept an eye out for one–but they didn’t see any until they reached an old, abandoned mansion at the edge of the forest. Mitsumi recognized this place from the games, and knew they’d be able to find the poison-type Gastly there, so she practically dragged Cheryl inside._

_As they searched for a Gastly, the girls made their way into the kitchen, where a modern orange fridge stood out among the old appliances and decor. As they watched, suddenly the fridge grinned at them and moved! Mitsumi had never seen anything like it, so she held out her Pokédex to it–and the Pokédex identified it as Rotom? As they watched, Rotom zipped from appliance to appliance, changing its form at will. Mitsumi managed to capture it, wondering why on earth it was changing like that. On their way out they finally managed to find a Gastly, and Cheryl captured it._

_Before leaving the Chateau grounds, Rotom popped from its Pokéball and possessed a lawn mower to mow the lawn one last time. Mitsumi had an idea, and decided to climb into Rotom’s back seat. She invited Cheryl on as a quick way to get to Eterna, and the two of them sped out of the forest. Once they reached Eterna, Cheryl gave Mitsumi a Soothe Bell, and the two of them parted ways._

_Mitsumi went to the Pokémon Center, and on the way in she noticed a missing person poster on the front window. It depicted an older man with a honey-brown beard. She went inside to heal her Pokémon, and she found an older-looking nurse with a young pink-haired son behind the counter. Mitsumi asked about the poster, and the nurse explained that her husband disappeared while on a research trip some time ago. Mitsumi assured the nurse that she’d keep an eye out for him._

_Mitsumi also contacted Professor Rowan about her Rotom, but Rowan told her that possessing electronics and changing shape was just normal behavior for Rotom. Mitsumi began to wonder what else about the Pokémon world would be new to her…_

 

Mitsumi sat in front of the mirror in her room at the Pokémon Center that night, brushing out her hair and reflecting on the day. She’d caught a new Pokémon, explored a haunted house, and made a friend–and now here she was in Eterna City. It had been a long trek from Twinleaf town, and Mitsumi could barely believe how far she’d come in only a week of travel.

Something else gnawed at the back of her mind. Even after a week, she felt like she was no closer to learning how she’d come to Sinnoh, and why. The mysterious Zero had provided a hint—that her coming here was no accident, and had something to do with a terrible calamity—but Mitsumi got the feeling he knew far more than he let on. Could she really trust him, even if he was the only person who knew her secret? He never _had_ told her how he knew, either…

She’d been staring into the mirror absentmindedly, but out of the corner of her eye she sensed movement. Mitsumi whirled around, but there was nobody behind her; her Pokémon all snoozed on the cot in the corner. She turned back to the mirror, nerves rising—there it was again: movement. Only this time, it didn’t seem to be coming from the room reflected in the mirror. This time it appeared as a ripple on the mirror’s glassy surface.

Mitsumi jumped back, knocking over her chair. She watched as the mirror rippled several times, before finally an image began to appear: a man with a handsome face and yellow eyes…

“There you are. Can you hear me?”

“Zero?!” Mitsumi spluttered.

“Oh good, it worked,” Zero sighed in relief, “It’s not easy to communicate like this–!”

“What the heck?!” Mitsumi shouted back, “You—you spooked the boop out of me, you know!!”

Zero recoiled slightly.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “But when I saw you, I just had to say hello…”

“Saw me? What do you _mean_ saw me!?” Mitsumi thought back to several minutes earlier, when she’d changed into her pajamas, “How long have you—!”

“Only a minute or so at most,” said Zero, “You were brushing your hair when I took notice of you.”

“Oh, thank god…” Mitsumi rubbed her forehead, “Anyway… what’s going on? Am I dreaming again…?”

“No, you are very much awake,” said Zero, “I realized there is one other method by which we can communicate, though I’m afraid it’s a bit less reliable. Generally, the Reverse World and your world are separate, but there are places where it’s possible for them to touch, such as mirrors and still lakes. Reflective surfaces are what we might call ‘conductors’ for portals to the Reverse World; though at the moment I suppose they’re a bit more like windows than doors.”

“So… you’re talking to me from the Reverse World? Right now?”

“Indeed,” Zero nodded, “Those ‘bubbles’ that you saw earlier? A large portion of them display the view from a mirror somewhere in your world—almost as if the mirrors are windows on the other side. With a bit of careful manipulation, they can be converted to portals. That’s what I would have done here, but due to the lockdown, it seems only my voice will be able to reach you.”

Zero put his hand up to the mirror and pushed a little on the glass. To Mitsumi’s surprise, the surface of the mirror warped around his hand, keeping him confined inside.

“That my voice and image appear to you is a miracle enough, though,” Zero smiled, “Impressive, isn’t it?”

“I don’t believe this…” Mitsumi put her hand to the glass as well, and pushed on it. It felt like standing on a trampoline; the mirror’s rubbery, smooth surface pushed back a little at her touch.

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” said Zero, “If the Reverse World were functioning normally, by now you would have fallen through the mirror and into my lap.”

Mitsumi flushed.

“I-I’m glad that didn’t happen!!”

Zero laughed slightly.

“I said this method is less reliable because I need two conditions to be met,” said Zero, “You need to be standing near a mirror, and I need to have found the mirror that leads to you. As such, the time I can hold this channel open is incredibly limited…”

“Right,” said Mitsumi. She couldn’t figure how he was doing it, but it made sense that he wouldn’t be able to do it indefinitely.

“Dreams are much more convenient,” Zero continued, “I can bring you into the Reverse World from anywhere, at any time, as long as you’re asleep. But, I thought I’d get you acquainted with this method as well, just in case the opportunity arose.”

“I dunno, I kinda like this method,” said Mitsumi, “It’s nice to be able to talk to you when I’m not dreaming.”

_It helps me remember that you’re real, and you really are in danger…_

“Oh!” said Mitsumi, “About earlier—at the Windworks.”

“Hm?”

“I… I doubted you at first. I just thought I was having a weird recurring dream, so I didn’t think much of it. But when I saw that the Windworks really _was_ in trouble… That’s when I knew these dreams were the real deal. I’m sorry for not trusting you…”

“Oh, that’s all right,” said Zero, smiling gently, “I knew you wouldn’t believe me at first. Who would? A mysterious man babbling on about saving some strange, inverted world…”

“But now that I know you’re real,” said Mitsumi, “Um… thank you for telling me about the Windworks. Without you warning me, who knows what could have happened…?”

“You’re welcome,” said Zero, “I should be thanking _you_ for dealing with it so swiftly. If we work together like this, we may well be able to save this world…”

“And you,” Mitsumi added.

“Yes, of course, and me,” Zero echoed, though his tone suggested that his own fate was less of a concern, “Listen, I can’t keep this channel open much longer, and there’s something I’d like you to look into for me while you’re in Eterna City.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“You may have noticed that strange blue building on your way into town,” said Zero, “I’m almost certain that building has something to do with Team Galactic. They say they’re researching alternative energies, but after that snafu at the Windworks, I wouldn’t be so quick to take them at their word. If you can find a way inside, you might be able to find some clues as to their real motivations.”

Even though Mitsumi knew from the games that that building was very much owned by Team Galactic, she still didn’t like the sound of Zero’s plan.

“You want me to just _break in_ to a building owned by a gang?!”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Zero furrowed his brow, “But if you have your Pokémon with you, I’m sure you’ll be just fine. You’re a smart girl; I have no doubt that you’ll be able to weasel your way in somehow. Anything we can learn about Team Galactic will be helpful for planning their defeat.”

“So you’re sure it’s them behind all this…?” said Mitsumi, though she was fairly certain herself.

“Until we find evidence to the contrary, I will assume so, yes,” said Zero. His image rippled slightly in the mirror, and Mitsumi jumped, “Ah, looks like our time is just about up. Mitsumi—the rest is in your hands. I’ll contact you again when I’ve built up my strength.”

“See you, Zero…” said Mitsumi.

Zero waved to her before his image faded from the mirror, leaving Mitsumi staring at her own reflection. She reached out and touched the mirror, but its surface was hard and unyielding.

She pinched herself to make sure she hadn’t been dreaming again; for one last confirmation that the man she’d dreamed about was real. The Windworks had been enough to prove it, but now the last shred of doubt was gone from her mind. The Reverse World really existed, and a man named Zero was there somewhere, trapped on the other side of the glass.

Her stomach sank as she realized the weight of what he was asking her to do. Saving one world was a task in itself, but two…?

_No,_ she thought to herself, _if I save one world, I save them both. They say that if you save one person, you save a whole world, but now I guess it’s saving one world to save the rest of the multiverse…_

“Prin,” her Pokémon squawked. She turned to look at it; her Piplup had evolved back in the forest. She was a little sad not to have her cute Piplup anymore, but she was looking forward to having the cool and strong Empoleon at her side.

“We gotta go to bed, Charles,” Mitsumi said to it, “There’s a lot on our plate for tomorrow…”


	12. Hearthome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsumi's journey continues at a clip...

_The following day, Mitsumi set out to sightsee around Eterna. The nurse and her son recommended the statue of the legendary Pokémon. Mitsumi was curious about whether the statue would be Dialga or Palkia, so she went to check it out–only to discover that the statue in this reality depicted an artist’s rendering of a Pokémon that shared traits of both. She wanted to have a look at the description plaque, but someone else was blocking it: the light-haired man she’d seen at Lake Verity. The man muttered to himself about time and space shaping the world in an intertwining spiral. He wondered aloud if the legends of Pokémon that controlled those forces were true. The man nearly bumped into Mitsumi as he left; he didn’t seem to recognize her from before. When Mitsumi went to check the plaque, she found that it was gone._

_Mitsumi then went to go check out the Galactic building. At first she was turned away at the entrance, and an undercover Handsome asked what on earth she was doing getting into trouble again. However, some of the grunts recognized Mitsumi as the one who thwarted them at the Windworks, and they rushed to take Mitsumi to their leader. Handsome trailed cautiously behind. The woman in charge here was named Jupiter, and she was accompanied by Charon from before. Charon recognized her, and warned Jupiter that this trainer defeated Mars. Jupiter challenged Mitsumi to a battle, eager to prove herself better than Mars–but Mitsumi won in a close fight. Jupiter scoffed, saying Galactic was just about to leave anyway–they’d gathered what they needed from Eterna, and no longer needed a base in Western Sinnoh. Jupiter hinted that their boss is researching mythical Pokémon in order to use their power to rule Sinnoh, and told Mitsumi not to meddle in Team Galactic if she knows what’s best for her. The lights went dark, and when they came back up, Team Galactic was gone._

_Mitsumi left the building with her head spinning a little, Handsome behind her.  Team Galactic’s goals were shaping up to be the same as they were in the games–which meant the Pokémon world was in just as grave danger as she’d feared. Handsome expressed his plans to get a forensics team into the building so they can start hunting down Galactic members, but no sooner did he say that then the building exploded behind them. They both turned around in disbelief, watching as the entire building was reduced to rubble. Mitsumi wondered if Team Galactic rigged it that way to destroy evidence, and Handsome cursed his luck._

_Mitsumi took the next day to challenge the gym leader in Eterna. She had to capture a Ponyta on the outskirts of town to gain a type advantage over the grass-type gym, but she managed to win in the end. The following day she headed south on horseback, relieved to have picked up some alternate forms of transportation._

_She reached Mt. Coronet around the middle of the day and had to dismount, her Ponyta wary of the steep climb. As she headed up to the mountain, the sound of bells began to echo from above. Mitsumi looked around, wondering where on earth the bells were coming from, and spotted a familiar face approaching–the light-haired man she’d run into the other day. The man explained that those bells were actually Bronzong, who are in tune with the path of the sun and habitually chime when the sun is directly above Mt. Coronet. He added that Coronet got its name from the sound of Bronzong’s ringing. The man introduced himself as Cyrus, and Mitsumi bristled slightly. He offered to accompany Mitsumi through the dark cave ahead, and Mitsumi reluctantly agreed. She let out her own Bronzor to light the way._

_Inside Mt. Coronet, Cyrus discussed the theory that the mountain marks the spot where Sinnoh was created. He lamented that the peaceful world at the start of time has since evolved to be rife with violence and suffering. Mitsumi’s stomach sunk as she realized that this Cyrus was the same as the one she knew from the games, yet she couldn’t bring herself to challenge him to a fight. As she and Cyrus parted ways at the exit, Mitsumi wondered when she would cross paths with him next–and whether she’d have the courage to stand up to him then._

_Mitsumi made it into Hearthome city by nightfall, and was so exhausted from the day’s hike that she was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow…_

 

_I’m back? In the Reverse World?_

Mitsumi found herself in a place that now seemed familiar: a floating island in an ocean of sky. She looked around, but there was no one else to be seen. Other islands floated in mirrored chains nearby, still as stone. Beyond these floated ominous clouds of purple smog. For some reason, Mitsumi had been looking forward to coming here again–but the presence of the smog worried her a little.

She started walking, wondering how far she was from Zero’s house. She’d barely gone a few steps before a tree sprung up suddenly in her path.

“Agh!”

She lost her balance leaping out of the way, and fell slowly to the ground. She backed up a little as she got back to her feet, eyeing the tree cautiously. The tree sank back into the ground, leaving no trace that it had ever been. When she took a few careful steps forward, the tree sprang up like it had before.

“Well that’s weird,” Mitsumi commented. She took a few steps to the side and walked around it, coming to the edge of the island. She looked over her shoulder, and the tree was gone again.

“Okay, _really_ weird…”

Not too far away was another island, smaller than the one she stood on now. Mitsumi gulped, gathered her courage, and jumped. The weak gravity carried her across to the smaller island, and she landed on it safely. As she considered where to go next, Mitsumi noticed that there were no other flat surfaces on nearby islands to jump to. The next island over was upside-down.

“Hm,” she said, an idea forming in her mind, “I suppose it’s worth a shot.”

Mitsumi jumped up toward it with all her strength, spinning forward as she did. This island seemed to have its own set of gravitational rules, and Mitsumi got caught in its local pull. She was able to stand on the upside-down island as she would any other.

“Okay, _super_ weird,” said Mitsumi, “My hair isn’t even falling…”

She surveyed her options from the new vantage point. Above (below?) her was an island with a single house on it, its walls stretching like an accordion into the sky…

“Is that Zero’s house?”

She jumped off the surface of the island, letting herself fall into the other’s gravitational pull. She landed smoothly on her feet.

“Now the real question,” she mused to herself, “Is whether this island is right side up, or upside down…?

Pondering this, Mitsumi walked up to the door and knocked a few times. Footsteps came from within, and the door opened. To her relief, it was Zero; he looked just as delighted to see her as she was him.

“Mitsumi!” he said, “I’ve been expecting you. Please, come in.”

Zero ushered Mitsumi in the door and directed her to the sitting room. It looked largely the same as it had before, unnerving empty picture frames and all. Mitsumi sat down on the couch across from him. She couldn’t even look at the frames without cringing.

_Maybe once we get him out of here, I’ll buy him some real art for this place…_ Mitsumi thought to herself.

“Mitsumi,” said Zero, “Your feat at the Windworks was impressive on its own, but now you’ve encountered two Team Galactic heads in such a short span… This will be incredibly helpful for focusing our efforts in the future. If we can defeat those high-level members…”

“There might be more,” said Mitsumi, “In fact, I’m pretty sure there are two others.”

“Oh?” said Zero, “What makes you so sure?”

“Um…” Mitsumi struggled to come up with a good way to explain it. How does one explain that in another world, this one is a work of fiction? “So in my world there’s these games… you know what videogames are, right?”

“Video… games? I don’t believe I do.”

“Well, um… nevermind. The point is, in my world, there’s a work of fiction about the Sinnoh region. It’s a pair of games where you play as a Pokémon trainer and save the world from Team Galactic.”

“Intriguing…” said Zero.

“So far, Team Galactic’s commanders have been almost identical to characters from the games. That Charon guy is new, but everyone else is the same.”

“Go on.”

“Well, in the games, there’s a third commander named Saturn. There’s also a ‘big boss’ leader type; his name is Cyrus.”

“Cyrus…” said Zero, “Didn’t you meet someone named Cyrus today?”

“You knew about that?”

“Of course,” said Zero, “There are bubbles that serve as windows to every part of your world. I happened to be in the right place at the right time–but that’s not important. Tell me more about this Cyrus.”

“Well…” said Mitsumi, “The Cyrus in the games dresses differently, and has stronger Pokémon. That’s about the only difference I’ve noticed. Otherwise, they’re almost scarily similar.”

“Hm,” said Zero, “I’ll have to keep an eye out for him. If he really _is_ the leader of Team Galactic, we may be able to head him off, so to speak… In the meantime, I’d like to ask you something.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you remember how the Galactic building mysteriously collapsed once you finished your business there?”

“Now that you mention it, yeah…” said Mitsumi, “I’ve been thinking about that. I thought it was weird that they’d blow up their own building.

“Ah, no, it wasn’t Team Galactic who destroyed it.”

“Then who was it?”

“I did it,” said Zero proudly, “Once I was sure you and your friends were a safe distance away, I popped the bubble containing the building.”

Mitsumi jumped up from her seat in disbelief.

“Zero!” she said sternly, “You could have hurt someone! Thank god Team Galactic had already left by then–!”

“But they’re–!” Zero spluttered in defense, “Aren’t they the ones we’re trying to stop?!”

“They may be bad people, but they’re still people,” said Mitsumi, “It isn’t right to deliberately try to kill them. And what if you had hurt any Pokémon?”

“But, under Team Galactic, those Pokémon–”

“There are no bad Pokémon, Zero,” said Mitsumi, “There are only people who use Pokémon to do bad things.”

Zero looked at the floor in defeat. For a while, it was silent between the two of them. The quiet began to weigh on her ears.

Mitsumi sighed and walked over to sit next to him. She patted his shoulder comfortingly.

“But hey, isn’t a miracle that nobody was hurt?” she said, “I forgive you. Sometimes we all do things that seem like a good idea at the time, but turn out to be stupid. Let’s put this behind us and concentrate on saving the Reverse World. On saving you.”

Zero looked at her, eyes shining, but Mitsumi couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Something was definitely off about him. He hadn’t struck her as the kind of man rash enough to follow his instincts alone, yet he’d had no qualms about destroying a building with people still inside. There was something almost childish about his sense of justice.

“Thank you, Mitsumi,” he said, “What I did was foolish. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” said Mitsumi, “Just do better next time, okay?”

She wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn she saw some color in her pale companion’s cheeks.

“…It’s time for you to return,” said Zero. He looked away furtively, “Contacting you twice in such a short period… It has weakened me significantly. Any more questions can be asked next time.”

“But Zero–!” said Mitsumi. Zero looked back at her, smiling wanly.

“Until we meet again,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This run I wanted to emphasize that there is something Very Off about Zero. I hope I’ve succeeded so far lmao


	13. Veilstone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsumi discovers the cause of the damage to the Reverse World--but will she and Zero be able to put this knowledge to use before it's too late...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold on to your hats folks bc this section’s summary is a doozy. This is also the segment where poooossibly the biggest narrative revision I’ve made so far comes into play–and no, it’s not cutting the Riolu arc.

_Mitsumi’s first order of business in Hearthome City was to visit the Contest Hall; she wanted to watch a contest firsthand to see if they’d be interesting for her. By pure chance she sat next to a mysterious blond woman named Cynthia, whom Mitsumi immediately recognized as the Sinnoh Champion from the games. But was she still champion in this world?_

_The contest offered a few more surprises: Hearthome’s gym leader, Fantina, would be participating, along with a boy Mitsumi recognized–it was Lucas! She and Lucas faced off in the first round of battling, and though he held his own, his inexperience showed, and Fantina eventually beat him. Mitsumi and Cynthia caught up with Lucas in the lobby, and he seemed embarrassed to have lost so badly. Cynthia congratulated him on his hard work, though, and encouraged him to keep trying. Lucas seemed to recognize her, and asked her if they’d met. She introduced herself, and he jumped up in shock–evidently, they were childhood friends who hadn’t seen each other in five years._

_Cynthia took the two younger trainers out to lunch so that she and Lucas could catch up. Lucas explained that he and Cynthia had grown up together in Sandgem, and he’d always looked up to her like an older sister. However, following her parents’ assumed death in a horrific accident overseas, Cynthia had to move to Celestic to live with her grandparents. Cynthia picked up where Lucas left off, explaining that her journey to Celestic was her first step as a Pokemon Trainer. It was there that she gained an interest in Sinnoh Mythology, and set out to travel the region and learn more. She also revealed that she was now the Pokemon Champion in Sinnoh, which took Lucas by surprise. After lunch, Cynthia left quickly to make a lecture across town. Lucas and Mitsumi left the restaurant together._

_On the way out, the pair ran into Jun–or rather, Jun ran into them. Excited to see his friend again, Jun challenged Mitsumi to a battle. It was a close fight like before, but this time Mitsumi won, her Bronzor evolving in the nick of time to secure the win. Jun grumbled something about a million Pokedollars as he handed her the winnings, then took off again. Lucas and Mitsumi parted ways as well._

_Mitsumi challenged the gym in Hearthome, but was beaten pretty badly. She trained for a day or two in the grass on the eastern side of town, hoping that she’d be able to win a badge on her second pass. With a stroke of luck she managed to catch a Murkrow, and used her new Pokemon to get an edge over Fantina’s ghost-types. Her third badge in hand, Mitsumi set out for the next town on horseback the following day._

_Mitsumi stopped overnight in Solaceon, but found nothing particularly exciting about the town, and decided to leave the next morning. That night as she sat in her room at the Pokemon Center, she began to feel the pangs of homesickness, and wondered if she would ever find her way back home. Her thoughts also fell on Zero, and she willed him to appear in the mirror to talk to her–but there was only silence. She became a little embarrassed of herself for wanting to see him so suddenly. After all, they were only partners in saving the world–nothing more. At the same time, she wondered why she spent so much time thinking about him._

_After leaving Solaceon, Mitsumi headed north and east to Veilstone. The trek took her most of the day. When she arrived in Veilstone, she noticed that just outside the Pokemon Center, there was a young lady in a bright red and black outfit trying to get the attention of passerby. Mitsumi went over to talk to her, and the she introduced herself as Temari, a Pokemon Ranger from the Almia region. Temari explained that she was here looking for a suitable trainer to look after a very special Pokemon. She opened her bag, and a small blue Pokemon peeked out from it: a Riolu. Temari went on to say that this Riolu could use Aura Sphere, a move Riolu cannot usually know, and that it was highly sought after in Almia because of it. Mitsumi agreed to take care of Riolu for her. She settled in at the Pokemon Center for the night._

 

That night Mitsumi found herself in the Reverse World for a fourth time, this time standing on rough-hewn stone stairs in what appeared to be a town. Buildings stretched like accordions into the sky; their foundations disappearing into the distance below. Mitsumi wondered if there were any people living in this strange town, but the daylight made it difficult to see inside the windows. It was unnervingly silent.

Mitsumi began to walk, her legs sluggish; the gravity here was weaker than normal. Climbing the stairs became an almost herculean task–one misstep and she could tumble below for an eternity. Finally she reached the top of the stairs and took a look around. There were no streets to speak of; the buildings wandered in a floating maze that had no clear end or beginning. For some reason, the buildings began to look familiar. It took her a minute, but she realized where she’d seen them before: they were warped likenesses of the buildings in Veilstone city.

_So there *is* some correlation to these worlds… geographically, at least._

Mitsumi made her way inside a building, almost tripping as she stepped over the threshold and gravity resumed its usual pull. The insides were devoid of furniture: large square rooms without any inner walls or decoration. Windows on all sides showed more of the town–oddly, since many of the buildings shared walls with each other.

As she stepped back outside, Mitsumi noticed a bubble drifting into her path. She gazed into it, keeping a cautious distance just in case.

The bubble’s view showed a sterile room with grey walls and drab furnishings. Large blacktop tables lined the sides of the room, covered in expensive-looking instruments and monitors with glowing screens. The rear and center had been cleared to make way for a massive turbine-like machine, and what appeared to be a round archway. A few scientists in black labcoats milled around.

_Where is this?_ Mitsumi thought to herself, _Is this somewhere in Veilstone…?_

The scientists all turned their attention to something out of sight. There was no sound, but one of them began speaking. A new figure walked into the room–a short, stocky man with light hair. He had his back to her, but his silhouette seemed familiar somehow. The newcomer conversed with the others before they all turned back to their work, putting on helmets and safety goggles. The newcomer also turned around, and Mitsumi gasped in recognition–he was Charon, one of the admins of Team Galactic.

The machine glowed as it came to life at the scientists’ command. Lights in the room flickered as the machine drew power for its own use. A bright light formed in the center of the archway, gaining strength as it sucked energy from other machines in the room.

The bubble began to crack.

Mitsumi knew this was a bad sign. Bubbles didn’t just _crack_. Bubbles popped at the slightest provocation, but they didn’t just crack. She began to back away, but the weak gravity prevented her from getting very far.

The light glowing from the archway engulfed the entire view within the bubble, and it collapsed in on itself. Noxious purple fumes poured out of it and engulfed her, burning like ash against her skin.

As she struggled to get away, she heard voices very faintly.

“Didn’t work this time either…”

“We were so close; we just need more power. If only that damn fool hadn’t destroyed his notes, we might…”

“But the boss is gonna shut us down if we don’t get results…”

“It _can_ be done; I’ll prove it. If Graceland could do it with _scraps_ in his _basement_ , then all the money and resources of Team Galactic can surely…!”

Mitsumi couldn’t catch the rest. The voices faded, and she felt her own consciousness slipping away with them. She began to fall backwards as slowly as falling through water. Just before she passed out, she was aware of an arm at her back and a voice in her ear.

“I have you. Let’s go to my house, and quickly.”

* * *

When Mitsumi came to, she was lying on one of the couches in Zero’s sitting room. The man himself sat next to her, watching her worriedly. He had one of her hands in his, but the second he noticed she was awake he released it.

“You’ve come to,” he said, relieved, “The connection was lost for a moment, but it should be fine now. More importantly, how are you feeling?”

“Um…” It took a while for Mitsumi to get her thoughts back in order. She felt as though she’d learned something important, and tried to retrace her steps to recall what it was. There had been a bubble, and a machine in a lab. A familiar face from Team Galactic. The bubble had collapsed, spewing poison. The voices mentioning someone…

“I saw where the purple clouds are coming from, I think…”

“Really?” Zero frowned, “I myself have never seen one at the moment of its creation. What happened?”

“It came from a bubble,” said Mitsumi, “I think… something happening inside the bubble must have caused it to go berserk.”

The more she thought about it, the more the fog cleared in her mind. Team Galactic definitely had a hand in the pollution. But what was that machine…?

“It was Team Galactic,” said Mitsumi, “I definitely saw members of Team Galactic.”

“So that confirms our suspicions,” said Zero, “What were they doing, exactly?”

“They had this big machine, and an archway. They turned the machine on, and there was this light, and then the bubble cracked.”

Zero’s expression darkened.

“Anything else?”

“Right when the smoke came out, there were voices,” Mitsumi continued, “They mentioned a guy who destroyed his notes… someone named Graceland?”

“Graceland…” said Zero, frown deepening, “That would be Newton Graceland.”

“You know him?”

“We are… acquaintances,” said Zero.

“Who is he?” asked Mitsumi.

Zero stood up, facing the window.

“Newton Graceland was the first person from your world to discover the Reverse World. He had theorized about its existence for decades before finally finding a way to observe it for himself. He was able to build a machine that took advantage of a weak point in the barrier between this world and yours, and conducted several successful tests.”

“Wow…” said Mitsumi, “That’s incredible…”

“That machine was just a prototype for what Newton one day hoped to build,” Zero continued, “Normally this world would be impossible for a human to access, but there is a Pokémon that is said to be able to travel freely between worlds. Newton’s primary aim was to study that Pokémon and better understand its abilities, with the long-term goal of developing technology to mimic it. The possible applications for such technology are limitless, and he hoped to use it for the good of humanity.”

“What happened, though?” said Mitsumi, “It sounds like he gave up.”

“He did,” said Zero, “Initially, he drew up plans for a machine that would be able to copy the Pokémon’s powers into a program that could be manipulated at will. This program would theoretically be able to access the Reverse World from anywhere, at any time–unlike the Dimensional Machine, which was limited to a few select access points. However, he realized that his copying machine would ultimately torture and kill the Pokémon before producing viable results.”

“Oh god, that’s awful!” said Mitsumi.

“Indeed,” said Zero, “Newton decided that he could not follow through with this project, and destroyed the plans for everything he’d built.”

“But wait…How did Team Galactic manage to build one? If that’s really what their machine is supposed to do… “

“That, I cannot say for sure,” said Zero, “Newton had several associates on this project, but only _he_ held the master plans. It’s not a stretch to assume that one of them could be trying to recreate the Dimensional Machine from memory. That’s happened once before… Luckily, his plans were quashed before anything could come of it.”

“Right. So…” Mitsumi furrowed her brow, “I wonder if Team Galactic tried kidnapping Newton, if they didn’t have anyone who knew the whole plan?”

“A reasonable guess, but not actually possible,” said Zero, “Shortly after Newton destroyed the plans, the Reverse World started showing signs of damage and locked down. His Dimensional Machine malfunctioned, and he was trapped here. He’s been eking out an existence in the Reverse World ever since.”

Mitsumi eyed him quietly, mulling this all over in her mind.

“So…” she said, “Are you… Newton Graceland?”

A chuckle escaped his lips, and he turned to face her.

“No, no. I can see why you’d think that, though. Maybe someday you’ll be able to meet him, but not now. This dream space is something only you and I can share.”

“Oh,” for some reason, Mitsumi felt herself flushing.

“For the time being,” said Zero, “Let’s assume that someone in Team Galactic worked with Newton, and is trying to recreate his plans. Troubling as that is, it’s what we have to work from.”

“Right,” said Mitsumi, “But now that we know Team Galactic is directly responsible for what’s happening here, we can double down our efforts to stop them.”

Zero nodded.

“I don’t know why they’re doing this…” he said quietly, “But I hope I never have to find out.”

“Me too,” said Mitsumi, though she already had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Part of her dreaded that she already knew _exactly_ what Team Galactic was aiming for in their pitch to cross dimensions, “I promise you, Zero… we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

_Hopefully before things get out of control…_

Mitsumi looked up at him, catching his gaze. The sheer admiration in his eyes made her cheeks flare up anew.

“We’ve spent quite some time talking,” he said, “I’m afraid it’s getting to be time to go.”

Mitsumi’s heart sank a little. There was so much more she wanted to talk to him about. Even if she understood more about the situation, she still knew next to nothing about Zero himself. If he wasn’t Newton Graceland, then who was he–and how had _he_ ended up in the Reverse World? Was he a trainer? Or was he one of Newton’s former associates, stuck in the Reverse World with him…?

“See you next time then, Zero,” said Mitsumi, “Until we meet again?”

Zero couldn’t help smiling.

“Am I really getting so predictable?”

“Well, you _do_ say that every time…”

“Hah, I suppose I do. Well, perhaps I’ll try a different phrase… How does ‘I’ll see you in your dreams’ sound?”

“Haha, no,” said Mitsumi.

“You’re right, that’s too flashy…”

* * *

Mitsumi woke from her dream in a fit of giggles, and it took a while for her to catch her breath. Part of her was angry he’d cut out so quickly; she wanted to give him more sensible suggestions for turns of phrase. And part of her was, inexplicably, sad that she couldn’t have spent more time joking with him…

Ah, what was she thinking, all the sudden?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things I didn’t like about the original in the end:  
> \--That originally the damage to the RW was caused by Team Galactic torturing Pokemon; it seemed like a flimsy excuse  
> \--That I introduced Newton for the first time at literally the last possible second  
> \--That I had a ton of loose ends re: Charon that I never got around to addressing
> 
> Hopefully this revision will solve most of those problems


	14. Celestic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsumi finally meets Newton Graceland for herself. His assessment of the situation is no less bleak...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we have yet another chapter that wasn’t exactly in the original (along with a gigantic summary section)
> 
> Also, thanks to the revision I made in the last chapter, I actually got to turn a plot device I didn’t like in the original into something useful and relevant. Yay?
> 
> I’m also redacting the “Cyrus was Reggie/Paul’s father” thing I had going in the original, bc what the hell, past me.

_Mitsumi wandered around Veilstone the following day. Her first stop was the giant, ominous building on top of a hill, which turned out to be nothing more than a planetarium. Mitsumi was relieved at first, but after overhearing that the planetarium was built by a man named Cyrus, she got the feeling there was more to the building than there seemed. Afterwards Mitsumi went to a bookstore, where she picked up a manga titled “Aura Chronicles,” about an Aura Guardian named Sir Aaron._

_In the afternoon, Mitsumi decided to train with her new Riolu. While training she ran into a trainer about her age named Maylene, who was training with a Lucario. Maylene was hoping to win back her Lucario’s trust after a humiliating defeat at the gym. Mitsumi asked what type the gym leader trained, and Maylene admitted that she herself was the gym leader. Mitsumi offered to train with Maylene to get Lucario’s trust back. On the way to the gym they ran into a man named Reggie, a friend of Maylene’s, who offered to let them use his yard as a training ground._

_At Reggie’s house, Mitsumi noticed his impressive collection of badges. When she commented on them, Reggie told her about his journey–how he’d traveled to many different lands, but eventually got too focused on battling and lost sight of himself. After losing to his uncle in the Battle Frontier, he returned home to Sinnoh to rethink the way he related to Pokémon._

_Mitsumi and Maylene had a practice battle, but Lucario still refused to give Maylene the time of day. Reggie thought that maybe Lucario needed a better idea of what kind of trainer Mitsumi was, and asked to battle her next. Mitsumi’s Luxio evolved into Luxray just in the nick of time, defeating Reggie’s Bibarel. Lucario seemed impressed with Mitsumi’s skill, and seemed to want to join up with her, but Mitsumi encouraged it to keep working together with Maylene._

_Mitsumi spent several more days training in Veilstone with her new friends, all the while keeping an eye out for any sign of the Team Galactic base she remembered from the games. She ended up challenging Maylene at the gym, and the two girls had a tough, neck-and-neck fight. Lucario seemed to have gained a new enthusiasm for battling, and it was a very tough opponent for Mitsumi’s team. However, Mitsumi emerged victorious. Maylene was worried that Lucario would lose faith in her again, but this time Lucario didn’t seem too bummed to have lost–it knew that it did its best, and recognized Mitsumi as a worthy opponent. Maylene gave Mitsumi the Cobble Badge._

_At the Pokémon Center that day, Mitsumi was trying to decide whether to head south to Pastoria in pursuit of her next badge, or north to Celestic, where there might be more clues about what Team Galactic was after. Mitsumi remembered confrontations with Galactic in both places in the games. As she debated, Cynthia walked into the Pokémon Center to heal her team. She spotted Mitsumi, and came to chat with her briefly. Mitsumi asked Cynthia where she would recommend Mitsumi go next. Cynthia recommended Celestic, of course, and she asked Mitsumi to do her a favor and bring an old charm to her grandmother if that’s where she was off to._

_The following day Mitsumi set out for Celestic. On the way, the route became enshrouded in a thick fog. Without any Pokémon that could use defog, Mitsumi enlisted her new Riolu’s help in guiding the way. The two of them ran into another trainer out in the fog, but this trainer seemed to be able to see through it. He introduced himself as Riley, an Aura-user who could use his ability to see clearly in adverse conditions. He offered to walk with Mitsumi to Celestic, but he admitted that he was wary of the fog: he’d tried to have his Pokémon use defog on it, but failed, and when he tried to leave, he found himself even more lost than before._

_Along the way, the two of them talked about Aura Guardians. Riley explained that he was one of the last living Aura users., and was on a mission to preserve their history and culture. He had been on his way to Celestic to investigate tales of Aura-users who had once lived there._

_As the two of them moved deeper into the fog, they came upon a couple of Team Galactic members next to an odd machine. The fog was spewing out from a gate of some sort on the machine, and the Galactic members were arguing about a malfunction that was distorting space locally. Mitsumi and Riley beat the Galactic trainers and destroyed the machine, causing the fog to clear. The two of them made it to Celestic not long after and parted ways at the edge of town. Mitsumi worried what a field test of a machine like that could mean…_

 

Celestic was a small, quiet town nestled at the foot of Mt. Coronet. Many of the buildings had an antiquated look about them, with plain wood walls and arched roofs. As Mitsumi walked around, she noticed that most of the people out and about were elderly. The Pokémon Center was housed in a very small, one-story building, with architecture to match the rest of the town. Mitsumi signed up for a room–she was the only one staying there that night–and had dinner with her Pokémon.

Mitsumi’s room was small, with a woven-grass floor, some cushions, and a low table providing the only furnishings. She wandered over to the closet, where she found some folded-up futons, blankets, and pillows. She hadn’t slept on a futon since she was little, visiting her grandparents in Japan–the sight of them brought back memories of summers spent chasing fireflies. Mitsumi moved the table and cushions over to the wall so she could set up a futon on the tatami.

Unsure what to do with herself for the evening, Mitsumi figured she could see about watching TV in the lobby. She started walking toward the door, but stopped as she noticed the full-length mirror on the bathroom door. She’d gotten in the habit of pausing in front of mirrors, inexplicably–knowing that the chances Zero would find her there were small, yet still unwilling to let go of the possibility.

Just as she was about to give up, the mirror began to ripple. Before long a familiar scene appeared in the mirror, taking the place of her own reflection. Zero stood on an island of land just beyond the glass, smiling at her calmly. She had never quite had the chance to see how tall he was when she was awake, and suddenly he seemed to tower over her.

“Good, it worked,” said Zero, “How are you, Mitsumi? I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“You’re not,” said Mitsumi.

“So,” said Zero, “Anything new to report?”

“Well…” said Mitsumi, “I had a run-in with Team Galactic on the way here. They were using some machine that distorted space, making a fog that nobody could leave from or clear.”

“Hm…” said Zero, “That accounts for the clouded bubbles I saw… That’s certainly troubling, but not exactly surprising.”

“Right,” said Mitsumi, “Since we already know they’re working on a machine that can cross dimensions… I just hadn’t expected them to take it out for a field test.”

“And that doesn’t sound like the Dimensional Machine, either,” said a third voice. Mitsumi jumped.

“Who’s that?!”

“Oh!” said Zero, “Mitsumi–you remember the man I told you about? Newton Graceland?”

“Yeah… is that him?”

“The one and only!” the newcomer came into the frame, pushing Zero aside. He was an older man with a honey-brown beard, wearing ratty looking clothes, “Hey there! You must be Mitsumi!”

“Nice to meet you,” said Mitsumi, “I heard about you from Zero.”

“And the same to you,” said Newton, “Zero practically won’t shut up about you!”

“Newton!” said Zero sharply. Mitsumi wasn’t sure, but from where she stood, Zero suddenly seemed to have some color in his face, “What were you saying about the machine?”

“Right, right,” said Newton, “The machine Mitsumi talked about doesn’t sound at all like my Dimensional Machine. It shouldn’t have any adverse effect on either world.”

“How does yours work, Newton?” asked Mitsumi.

“Well, you set it up at an access point–that’s a spot where the barrier is weak–and it’ll open up a portal to the Reverse World. But you can’t move it from that spot, or else it won’t be able to get through. So far I’ve only found two access points: Mt. Coronet and Sendoff Spring.”

“So what were they doing with that other machine…?” Zero mused quietly.

“It sounded like they were just taking it for a test run,” said Mitsumi, “But from the sound of things, the impassable fog was the result of a malfunction…”

“Smog on this side, fog on yours… I wonder if it’s the same machine causing both?” said Newton, “Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. Trying to break into an already locked down Reverse World… If they keep trying to bust in like this, I don’t even want to know what will happen…”

Mitsumi’s gut twisted in realization.

_What if it’s not even the Reverse World they’re after? What if they’re trying to access another dimension entirely…?_

But did she have enough evidence yet to know for sure?

“I’m just trying to figure out how they got my machine in the first place,” said Newton, “I think the only one still standing was at Sendoff Spring, but nobody would think to check there if they didn’t already know to look for it…”

“Newton,” said Zero, “Your associates… Could one of them have…?”

“Well, one of them _definitely_ couldn’t have done it, given that he's dead,” said Newton flatly. Zero scoffed, but Newton didn’t seem to notice, “The other… I guess it’s possible. I lost touch with Charon after he left the team. Something always seemed off about him–!”

“Wait. Charon?” said Mitsumi, “Did you say Charon?”

“Yes?” said Newton.

“There’s a Team Galactic member named Charon!” said Mitsumi, “He’s the one I saw earlier in the bubble that turned into smog–if this is the same one, then–!”

“I _knew_ that guy was up to no good,” Newton frowned, “He would have known exactly where to look for my machines…”

Newton furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

“Let me see if I can get some computer models working on this,” he said, “I want to get an estimate of how much more time we have. Zero, Mitsumi–I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Right. Thanks for the input,” said Zero.

“Oh, and Mitsumi?” said Newton, “I gotta thank you for all your hard work so far. Zero’s really betting a lot on you, and I guess I am too. Uh… sorry if it ever feels like it’s too heavy a burden.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” said Mitsumi, “I’m holding up okay.”

_I think, anyway._

“I’ll let Zero know if I find anything out,” said Newton, “Good luck!”

As Newton left the frame, Zero slipped back in to take his place. For a while Mitsumi could only stare at him, trying to come up with the best way to word what she wanted to say.

“Um,” she said finally, “Zero?”

“Hm?”

“I was wondering… after everything is over, and you’re not stuck in the Reverse World anymore… maybe we could meet up somewhere?”

Zero raised an eyebrow at first, but then smiled as if conceding something.

“I’d like that very much,” he said.

Mitsumi’s heart leaped into her throat.

“Truthfully,” Zero continued, “Aside from Newton, I’m the only inhabitant of the Reverse World. Even if much of what we discuss is about the situation at hand, it’s been nice having someone else to talk to. Over the past few weeks I’ve really come to cherish every moment I get with you.”

He flushed a little–for certain this time–and looked away.

“Ah, I’ve said too much… forgive me.”

“It’s fine,” Mitsumi smiled, “I’ve really enjoyed talking to you too. I can’t wait to meet you in person and spend more time together…”

Now it was Mitsumi’s turn to flush.

“I–if you want, anyway!!”

“Of course, of course,” said Zero, “I look forward to the day we’ll be able to meet without glass separating us.”

“Yeah…” said Mitsumi, “And I’m going to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible so I can make that happen. I promise.”

Zero’s image quivered in the mirror. Mitsumi jumped.

“Heh, I’m surprised I was able to hold the connection for so long…” said Zero, “Unfortunately, our time is up. I’ll contact you again once I’ve built up my strength.”

“Don’t strain yourself too hard,” said Mitsumi, “I can wait, it’s fine…”

“Of course,” said Zero, “But that doesn’t mean I won’t _want_ to see you again sooner.”

_That smooth son of a gun–!_

Before Mitsumi could respond, Zero had already vanished. She was back to looking at herself in the mirror, with the now-dark room behind her. Mitsumi looked down at her feet, an inexplicable feeling welling up in her chest. He hadn’t been gone a minute, and she already wanted to see him again.

_Is this how it feels to fall in love with someone…?_

She looked back up at the mirror resolutely, fists clenched.

“Zero!” she declared, “I’m going to save you no matter what! So… just keep waiting for me, alright?”

Of course there was no answer, and she couldn’t have known whether he heard her or not. But she felt a little better having put her thoughts into words.

“I promise…” she said. Her throat began to tighten, “I promise I’ll get you out of there…”


	15. Snowpoint Interval

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsumi takes on Cyrus, but the match ends in a draw. Struggling to accept she wasn't as strong as she wanted to be, Mitsumi makes her way north...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this one, the summary was a doozy–way more of a doozy than the last two chapters, and the chapter this leads into is fairly lengthy on its own. So, I decided to post this by itself.

Mitsumi set out the following day to deliver Cynthia’s item. She first checked in at the local library, an unassuming building housing accounts of Sinnoh myth. Riley was there interviewing an old man, but he and Mitsumi didn’t stop to chat. The librarian suggested Mitsumi check out the ruins, as Carolina–Cynthia’s grandmother–tended to hang around there.

Mitsumi ventured to the ruins, and seeing nobody, she headed inside. There she found an old woman in a labcoat. Mitsumi flagged her down, and the old woman introduced herself as Carolina. She seemed nostalgic seeing the charm that Mitsumi had brought for her, and explained that it had once belonged to her own daughter. Mitsumi asked about the ruins, and Carolina explained about the legendary Pokémon spoken of in Sinnoh. However, they were joined by a third person–Cyrus, who asked Carolina to elaborate a little. Cyrus gathered that the Lake Pokémon kept the current world in balance, and Carolina replied that that was correct. Cyrus challenged her, saying that the world was actually incomplete, and the two of them had a bit of a standoff. Mitsumi butted in, and Cyrus recognized her from Mt. Coronet. Carolina took this as her cue to leave, and Cyrus decided they ought to continue their conversation outside, saying that he’d been to the ruins multiple times but still felt nothing when seeing them.

Outside the ruins, Cyrus asked Mitsumi about her goals as a trainer. Mitsumi replied that she’d been pursuing badges, but didn’t really have a goal yet (hiding, of course, her real goal to save the Reverse World). Cyrus then asked what she’d do if she met a Pokémon of godlike power. Taken aback by his question, Mitsumi supposed she’d just try to make friends with it. Cyrus was astonished at her simple answer, and asked her why she wouldn’t try to use that power to change the world. Equally astonished, Mitsumi asked, “Why would I do that?”. Cyrus seemed to back off, figuring that a child like Mitsumi would never understand an adult’s vision. This time, Mitsumi put her foot down and challenged Cyrus to a battle to prove that his way of thinking was wrong.

Mitsumi went all-out against Cyrus in a 6 on 6 battle that quickly proved to be her toughest fight yet. Just when she thought she had the upper hand, Cyrus countered with a surprise move. She hated to admit it, but Cyrus was an incredibly skilled trainer. Finally it came down to Mitsumi’s Empoleon against Cyrus’ Honchkrow, and after a collision between aqua jet and drill peck, the battle ended in a draw. Mitsumi was disappointed, but at least this meant that she and Cyrus were on even footing–for now. She walked over to him and held out her hand, commending him for a battle well fought, but Cyrus said nothing and turned to leave. Mitsumi was left standing there, her hand outstretched, watching him walk away. Slowly her hand fell to her side. As soon as he was gone from view, she walked back to the Pokémon Center.

That night Mitsumi tried not to get too hung up on her battle with Cyrus, but she couldn’t help feeling like she’d let her Pokémon down. Her thoughts also wandered to Zero: had he seen that battle? She didn’t even want to think about how much it must have hurt him to see her lose like that. Thinking of Zero got her mind off things a little, and she began to wonder what sort of trainer he was, if he was even a trainer at all. Perhaps he was from a faraway land and had Pokémon that Mitsumi had never seen before? Maybe he kept a team of all the same Pokémon? Maybe he had a legendary Pokémon (although Mitsumi thought this was the most unlikely scenario). The more she thought and wondered about him, the more she wanted to know about him. When all this was over, she resolved to find out as much about him as possible.

The next morning, Mitsumi saw on the news that there were reports of Galactic activity as far north as Snowpoint. Though she was still hurting from the battle with Cyrus, Mitsumi knew that she couldn’t leave any stone unturned. She and her Pokémon headed north, making their way toward Mt. Coronet. After a quick pass through the mountain, they emerged on the other side–into a canyon blanketed with snow. The snow was so deep that Mitsumi didn’t think she’d be able to traverse on foot, so she let out her Empoleon and sledded down the canyon on its back. At the base of the canyon there was a small inn, and Mitsumi stepped inside to warm up. There she found Jun, who had been on his way to Snowpoint for his next badge. As the weather was only supposed to get worse from then, the two of them stayed the night in the lodge.

The two friends set out the following morning, though the weather had not cleared up much at all. Jun lent Mitsumi a pair of jeans so that she wouldn’t freeze to death. Before too long they arrived at a chairlift which would take them to Snowpoint–it was either that, or trudge uphill in the deep snow. As they rode the lift, Mitsumi told Jun about her battle with Cyrus. Jun was just as offended that Cyrus hadn’t shaken Mitsumi’s hand, and swore to kick his butt if they ever crossed paths.

Mitsumi and Jun made it to the Pokémon Center in Snowpoint, where they met a girl their age named Candice. Not only was Candice the gym leader, she and Mitsumi had a shared love of comics. The two girls became fast friends, but Candice admitted that she was tired from a day of battling and was going to head home for the day.

The following day Jun left early to train for his gym battle, so Mitsumi went out to explore the town. She came upon Snowpoint Temple, which was open to visitors on the first floor only. Inside there was a giant statue of a golem with crossed arms. Mitsumi stood at the foot of this statue and offered up a sort of prayer: a request for the knowledge to save the world, to know what she had to do so that she could do it. A small cry echoed in the temple, and a light shaped like an elf with two long tails appeared before her briefly before disappearing.

Mitsumi and Jun spent a few more days in Snowpoint. One of those days was spent at Candice’s house, where Mitsumi read all of the current volumes of _Aura Chronicles_ and spent long hours talking about Pokémon and boys. Mitsumi admitted to Candice that there was a boy she liked, and laughed when Candice thought she was talking about Jun. Candice seemed somewhat relieved, and encouraged her to tell this boy how she felt, whoever he was. On their fourth day in town, Jun finally took on Candice at the gym; he won handily with his Infernape. Candice offered to battle Mitsumi too, but Mitsumi worried she wasn’t strong enough–she only had four badges, after all. Candice reassured her that she kept separate teams for trainers of all different skill levels, so the two girls had a battle of their own. With Mitsumi’s Rapidash, it was a fairly one-sided fight.

That night, the three of them went out to have pastries that were a Snowpoint specialty. As they enjoyed the food with their Pokémon, Candice remarked that she had to go to the bathroom. Jun shot up to voice the same sentiment, and offered to walk her there. As she waited for her friends to come back, Mitsumi reflected on her journey a little. She hadn’t been here long, but it already felt like she’d lived here her whole life. Not too long after, Jun and Candice returned giggling, hand in hand. They separated as soon as they noticed Mitsumi, but she only smiled at them. They walked wordlessly back to the Pokémon Center together. Later Jun apologized for earlier, hoping Mitsumi wouldn’t be mad at him for asking out her friend–but Mitsumi stopped him, asking why on earth she would be mad that he’d found someone he liked.

That night, she went to bed happy–and a little jealous. After all, the person she liked was just beyond reach…


	16. And their hearts connected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding herself in the Reverse World yet again, Mitsumi finally gathers the courage to say what's on her mind...

_“Wake up, Mitsumi.”_

She gasped a little as his voice reached her ears, eyes flying open. The sky extended forever above her, dotted by islands of land. The grass swayed around her. It took a few moments for her to realize where she was.

She stood up and looked around. Although the sky was as beautiful as ever, she noticed that the horizon was dotted with purple clouds. The conditions here were gradually worsening–a stark reminder that there was still much to be done.

Mitsumi turned around, surveying everything around her, but there was nobody else there. It had been his voice just then, but he was nowhere to be seen.

She noticed something on an island in the distance. It was a house… his house! But compared to where she was, the house was upside down.

_I’ve got to get over there…_

The island was a fair distance away. She doubted she’d be able to make it if she jumped, but decided she had little else to lose. Mitsumi backed up to get a running start, then dashed forward, taking a flying leap off the edge. Her momentum carried her a bit through the weak gravity, but it was not enough. She missed the island by a few feet and fell slowly downwards.

Luckily there was an island below her, most of it shaded by a large tree. She landed softly in the grass, not even losing her balance.

“Ah! Mitsumi! How nice of you to drop in.”

Her heart leapt. She turned towards the source of the sound, clamoring for a glance of the person she wanted to see most. Zero had been leaning nonchalantly against the tree, and he stood up straight to greet her.

“Zero!” she said, “I wanted to see you… I’ve wanted to see you…”

Zero shrugged gently and smiled.

“Well, here I am.”

She ran up to him and leaped into his arms. He received her, returning her hug just as tightly.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Sorry for what?”

“I…” Mitsumi’s throat tightened, “In the battle with Cyrus… I thought I could beat him once and for all… in order to prevent… I… I let you down…”

“You’ve done nothing of the sort,” said Zero warmly, “You and your Pokémon tried your hardest, and in the end it was a draw. That just means the two of you were evenly matched.”

“Evenly matched…”

He released her so that he could look into her eyes, gripping her shoulders tightly.

“Next time,” he said, “You will have gotten stronger, won’t you? Next time, you won’t lose to him. I’m sure of it.”

Mitsumi was silent for a while, but then she smiled up at him.

“Thank you… Zero.”

“Now…” said Zero, “Tell me. What more have you found out?”

“Um…” said Mitsumi, “The other day Cyrus mentioned something about a Pokémon with godlike power. He asked me what I’d do with a Pokémon like that, and seemed confused that I wouldn’t try to use its power.”

“Of godlike power…” Zero repeated, “But why…?”

“Jupiter mentioned something like that too,” said Mitsumi, “She said their leader was researching legendary Pokémon so he could rule Sinnoh. I think Cyrus is the leader she was talking about.”

Zero nodded.

“A machine to cross dimensions… a mythical Pokémon… I think I see where this is going,” he said darkly, “Mitsumi, if we’re right about this…”

“All of Sinnoh could be destroyed,” Mitsumi finished for him.

“Not just Sinnoh–reality as we know it,” said Zero, “This is worse than I feared…”

“Um… I don’t know if this is any help, but…” said Mitsumi, “Remember those games from my world that I told you about earlier?”

“Vaguely,” said Zero.

“Well, since I’ve gotten here, things have happened almost exactly like they did in those games,” said Mitsumi, “I have a theory about what Team Galactic might be after. I didn’t want to put too much stock in it before, but there’s been too much overlap…”

“It’s better than nothing, though,” said Zero, “Here, let’s sit down.”

The two of them sat down in the shade of the tree. The grass tickled Mitsumi’s thighs, and it took her a bit to find a way to sit comfortably.

“So, tell me about the Team Galactic you know,” said Zero.

“Well,” said Mitsumi, “In the games, Team Galactic tries to summon Dialga or Palkia depending on which game you’re playing.”

“Dialga… Palkia…” said Zero, “The Pokémon that govern time and space, residing in separate dimensions far from our own. What would compel Team Galactic to go after them?”

“In the games, the leader of Team Galactic thinks emotions are useless, and that they only lead to strife and suffering. He wants to use those Pokémon’s power in order to erase everything and start a new world, without emotions.”

Zero put his hand to his mouth, thinking hard.

“That seems… oddly specific,” he said, “I have to admit, that wasn’t what I was expecting. But it does make sense considering what we’ve seen so far.”

“Yeah,” said Mitsumi, “Oh, but before Team Galactic could capture Dialga or Palkia, their leader had to make something called a Red Chain.”

“A Red Chain?!” Zero looked at her in shock.

“You know what it is?”

“… only from myths, thank god,” said Zero, “It’s a cursed item borne from the deepest suffering. If anyone ever actually tried to make one…”

“I’m afraid Team Galactic is going to, at this rate,” said Mitsumi, “In the games they captured the Lake Pokémon Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf to use in making the Chain.”

“So you think our Team Galactic is after the Lake Pokémon?”

“I’d guess so, but it’s impossible to know for sure,” said Mitsumi, “Right now, all we know is that they’re after a Pokémon of godlike power. It’s possible that they’re trying to create a Red Chain to summon a Pokémon like that. If we can intercept Team Galactic anywhere between snagging the elves and completing the Red Chain, we might be able to stop this before it gets out of control.”

“What’s all this ‘we’ stuff?” said Zero, concern on his face, “You forget that I’m trapped here. You alone have to intercept them. You alone have the power to prevent the disaster. I can do nothing–!”

“That’s not true!” said Mitsumi. She leaned forward, put her hands on Zero’s knees, and put her face close to his. Their eyes were inches apart, “You’re not helpless, and by god, _you are going to help_.”

“But how?” asked Zero, a bit startled that Mitsumi had asserted herself so suddenly.

“The bubbles!” said Mitsumi, “You have an eye everywhere in the Sinnoh region! Wherever you see Team Galactic up to no good, you can pop the bubble and create an explosion! Then… wherever it is… I can come running…”

Mitsumi trailed off and backed up a bit to sit on her knees, confidence running out of steam. Her heart pounded in her throat.

“You can fight them…” she said quietly, “You can help just as much, if not more…”

“In that case, I am at your command,” said Zero, “What should I be looking for?”

Mitsumi suddenly had an epiphany.

“Team Galactic’s base!” she said, “If you see a bubble that looks like it’s inside Team Galactic’s base, pop it! Not only will it cripple Team Galactic, the explosion will show up on the news and I can go investigate! You’ll just have to wait until people get out of the way first, but otherwise…”

“Mitsumi! That’s genius!” Zero exclaimed, “Why didn’t I think… What a brilliant idea! Working together like this, we’ll bring down Team Galactic in no time!”

“And soon… you’ll go free.”

Zero laughed humbly.

“Really, you don’t have to be concerned for me,” said Zero, “The Reverse World is my home. Being stuck is just a bit inconvenient, that’s all. What’s more important is stopping Team Galactic–for all our sakes.”

“But!” Mitsumi protested, without really knowing why.

“But what?” asked Zero.

“I want… I really just want…”

She was silent, flushing in embarrassment. She had the words she wanted to say, but there was no way she could force them out. Not with him sitting right there across from her, waiting for her to go on…

Zero, however, knew exactly what she wanted to say. In that instant their hearts connected. He reached out and took a lock of Mitsumi’s hair gently.

“… to be with you,” Zero finished for her.

“Y…yeah…”

Mitsumi averted her gaze, face still red, unsure what to do next. Zero brushed her cheek with his thumb, gently turning her face back to him.

“I understand,” he said quietly, “Lately… it’s been all I can think about.”

He brought his face close to hers.

“Mitsumi…” he murmured. Her heart raced whenever she heard her name in his voice, “I have a bit of a selfish request.”

“What’s that?”

“I won’t be able to hold this connection much longer. Before we part for tonight… may I kiss you?”

“H-huh?!”

“I understand if you don’t want to,” said Zero, “Forgive me, springing this on you so suddenly–!”

Mitsumi wasn’t sure _why_ she did it–whether it was the high of feelings returned in kind, a sudden lightness that couldn’t be attributed entirely to weak gravity, the urgency of knowing time was running out, or something else altogether–but she made up her mind in that instant. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

He jumped a little at her touch.

The kiss was brief; embarrassment set in, and she backed off almost as quickly as she’d come. It was strange how _real_ everything felt, even though she knew this was a dream–she could feel the warmth of his skin as though she were actually there in the Reverse World with him.

Zero eyed her quietly, his fingers on his lips as if to confirm she hadn’t stolen them.

“You…” he said, but he seemed to be having just as much trouble with words as she was.

“Was that good…?” she asked.

“It was… a fine first kiss,” Zero smiled at her, “The first of many to come, I hope?”

“Ah, uh,” Mitsumi’s face felt so hot, it practically fizzled, “Yeah… if you want… you can have as many as you want!!”

Zero laughed–it was the first time she’d ever seen him laugh like this. Truly, honestly; not the sly smirks he’d given her before. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her into a tight embrace.

“I’ll have to take you up on that when I get out of here,” he said, “In fact, I think it’s the first thing I’ll do.”

His momentum carried him backward; Mitsumi felt herself falling and put her arms out. After a fall so gentle it could hardly have been called a fall, they landed on top of each other in the grass. Zero smiled back up at her, the look on his face unlike anything she’d ever seen before. It made her cheeks burn just looking at him, knowing that his gaze was only for her…

He reached up and put a hand on the back of her neck gently.

“Thank you…” he said, “For indulging me…”

Mitsumi smiled.

_It hardly counts as indulging if I want it just as badly, right?_

She decided not to say that aloud, though–her lips seemed to have their own agenda today. She bent her head and closed what little gap remained between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an illustration for this chapter can be found [here](http://magu-art.tumblr.com/post/153164383747/its-been-a-rough-week-but-reworking-old).


	17. Cynthia's Myth/Galactic Base

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is mostly summary again, but it has a slightly different structure since I wanted to preserve Cynthia’s myth mostly intact.

_Mitsumi awoke the next morning on the verge of tears; not that Zero had done anything wrong, but that she had to leave him again. Now that they’d finally realized what they’d somehow known all along…_

_She found Jun in the Pokémon Center lobby; he was planning to head to Canalave for his next badge. Mitsumi opted to follow him: she knew Canalave had a library, and in that library she might find more information about the legendary Pokémon. She followed behind Jun with her own flying Pokémon. The two of them battled in front of the Pokémon Center, and this time Mitsumi won._

_The two of them went to the Pokémon center to heal their Pokémon. At the Pokémon Center there was a newspaper displayed prominently on the literature racks. On the front page was a picture of a handsome blond boy about Mitsumi’s age. The headline read “Canalave Teen Lost At Sea, Father-Son Outing Turned Nightmare”. Mitsumi skimmed the article, but it sounded like no one really knew what had happened to him. The boy’s parents were, of course, heartbroken. It made Mitsumi wonder about her own parents… but maybe they had the ‘other’ Mitsumi instead?_

_The two of them headed to the library afterwards; Jun wanted to go straight to the gym, but Mitsumi convinced him to come with her. At the library they found Cynthia, and Mitsumi confirmed that she’d delivered the old charm. They were soon joined by Lucas and Professor Rowan, who had come to the library looking for tales about the Pokémon of Lake Verity. Lucas mentioned an encounter with Team Galactic at Lake Verity, and said they kept talking about Pokémon of godlike power and the lake Pokémon. Cynthia recounted Sinnoh’s creation myth, mentioning the Lake Trio as well as Dialga and Palkia. Cynthia also mentioned that while the Lake Trio reside here in Sinnoh, Dialga and Palkia had their own dimensions. Although they work together to spin the fabric of space-time, they are two deities which should never meet._

_Jun wondered if Team Galactic was after the Lake Pokémon because Dialga and Palkia were out of reach. As they all considered this, the TV behind them blared with a newsflash: an explosion at Lake Valor. Cynthia leaped up to investigate, and Mitsumi trailed behind her. Could the explosion mean that Zero had seen something fishy…?_

_Mitsumi and Cynthia arrived on the scene at Lake Valor, but it appeared they were too late: all the water was gone from the lake, and nearby trees smoldered. Magikarp flopped helplessly in the mud. Mitsumi didn’t think Zero could have caused an explosion of this size, and certainly not one that would cause a fire. They made their way to the cave at the center of the lake, only to find a Team Galactic admin named Saturn waiting for them. Saturn challenged Mitsumi to a battle, promising to exact revenge on his associates’ behalf. It was a close fight, but Mitsumi emerged victorious. Saturn only laughed, though; his battle with her had bought enough time for his subordinates to capture Azelf. Their work done, Team Galactic made their escape._

_Cynthia wondered what Team Galactic would want with the Lake Pokémon, and Mitsumi suggested that maybe they’re using the Lake Trio to get at Dialga and Palkia. At first Cynthia thought this was impossible, but she remembered another myth she’d heard growing up in Celestic:_

“It’s an old Sinnoh folk tale, and a nightmarish one at that,” said Cynthia, “A man tried to bring together the essence of willpower, knowledge, and emotion in order to create something that would bring forth the deity Pokémon and put them under his control. It’s mostly been forgotten outside of Celestic, and I can’t blame people for not wanting to retell it… I’ve read that in some places it was believed that telling this myth would draw its curse upon you as well.”

“What happened?” asked Mitsumi.

Cynthia hesitated a little before continuing.

“The man tried to use something called a Red Chain to summon the godlike Pokémon, but instead a terrible, otherworldly creature answered his call. The creature was furious and almost devoured the man, but knowledge, will and emotion becalmed the creature and freed it from the Red Chain’s grasp.”

“They protected him?” asked Mitsumi, “Seems awfully nice of them, after what he did…”

“Not for long,” said Cynthia, “The Lake Pokémon sent the otherworldly creature back to where it came from, but then they turned on the man, seeking to reclaim what he’d taken from them. They took his memory, and he forgot who he was. They took his emotions, and he became stoic. Finally, they took his willpower, and he lay immobile in that spot until he died.”

“Yikes…”

“But the point is, could Team Galactic really be aiming for that? Do they want the Lake Trio for a bigger goal—summoning the deity Pokémon?”

“At this point, we can’t know for sure,” said Mitsumi, “But that’s the best theory I’ve got. Cynthia—what was that other Pokémon? The one the man summoned?”

“The otherworldly creature?” said Cynthia, “I don’t know its name… It was never mentioned in any of the other myths I’ve read. Perhaps there’s still research to be done. If Team Galactic really is trying to summon Dialga and Palkia, they may end up summoning the otherworldly Pokémon instead. I don’t like this… I’ll do some more research and see if there’s anything else we can find out.”

_Mitsumi and Cynthia ended up parting ways; Cynthia flying off on Togekiss, and Mitsumi trudging up north to Veilstone city. When she reached Veilstone, Mitsumi ran into Maylene again. She’d been on her way to Reggie’s to make dinner for him as a surprise, and Mitsumi agreed to help. The two girls spent an hour on it, but by the time Reggie got home, they’d so far succeeded only in making a giant mess in the kitchen. Reggie sighed and helped the girls organize their ingredients into actual dishes._

_Over dinner, Reggie and Maylene asked what brought Mitsumi back to Veilstone so soon. Mitsumi told them that she was looking for something, and this time she was certain it was in Veilstone. The two of them offered to help her find it, but she told them she didn’t want to get anyone else involved. They pressed her on it, and Mitsumi ended up telling them that she’d gotten tangled up with Team Galactic, and was on a mission to stop them before things got really bad. Reggie and Maylene persisted, saying they’d be willing to help no matter what._

_They cleaned up, and Maylene’s father came to pick her up. Reggie offered to let Mitsumi stay in his guest room for the night, and the two of them were up late talking. Mitsumi admitted that she still wasn’t sure what she was aiming for in as a trainer. Reggie reassured her that even though he set out with a goal, he eventually changed his mind and started pursuing something else. Part of traveling as a trainer was discovering why you left home in the first place. Mitsumi inwardly considered the path her own journey has taken: she’d left Sinnoh to find out why she’d come here, and had been caught up in Team Galactic’s schemes. Her new goal was to save the universe and free the man she loved… She wondered if her goals had actually been the same the whole time. Had she come to Sinnoh just for this?_

_The following morning, Mitsumi came downstairs to a news report showing an earthquake in Veilstone, which was quickly updated to be “an explosion of unknown origin beneath the planetarium.” Mitsumi’s thoughts instantly went to Zero–if he’d caused the explosion, then the planetarium must have been Team Galactic’s base all along. Mitsumi dashed out to investigate, with Reggie not far behind her. Along the way they ran into Handsome, and Mitsumi explained that she had a lead on Team Galactic’s base. Handsome reluctantly allowed them to help, and led them to a spot he’d been meaning to investigate: a warehouse on the north side of town. On the way, Mitsumi filled Handsome in on the situation with the Lake Pokémon._

_Handsome changed into his Galactic getup and led the two of them inside on the pretense that they knew too much about Team Galactic. The grunt on guard admonished him, saying he shouldn’t let Mitsumi run around without handcuffs at least–she’s the one who the boss had warned them about: the only trainer to ever equal him in battle, and Team Galactic’s biggest threat. Handsome responded by punching the guard in the mouth, and the three of them snuck in past the unconscious guard. Mitsumi picked up a dusk stone off the floor on her way in._

_Inside, they managed to go around undetected until Handsome was spotted by another Galactic grunt. She dragged him away, saying he was going to be late for the assembly. Reggie and Mitsumi tailed them into a huge room decorated in Team Galactic’s colors. At the front of the room was a balcony and podium, and before long Cyrus took the microphone. Cyrus delivered a terrifyingly powerful speech, and Team Galactic was whipped up into a frenzy. Handsome came to find them amid the chaos, and told them he’d be alright on his own–Mitsumi and Reggie needed to find and free the legendary Pokémon. The two of them decided to split up and search._

_Thanks to the assembly, the Galactic base was mostly empty, and Mitsumi moved around unhindered. As she ascended stairs and hopped on warp panels, she came upon a part of the building that looked as if there had been a terrible earthquake. The walls were dilapidated, the floor was cracked, and the furniture was splintered. Sparks flew out from the ruins of assorted machines. This must have been the site where Zero’s explosion had been. Seeing the damage firsthand made her shudder. She defeated a grunt who found her there and hightailed it away._

_Finally Mitsumi found her way to an important-looking hallway with a single door. The door had a keypad on the side, and Mitsumi entered a few codes she thought might open it–with no dice. Worrying about her number of tries, Mitsumi racked her brains for anything that might work–but suddenly it dawned on her what the password would be. It would have to be something vitally important, but that only Cyrus would know. Something important to him alone. She punched “Sunyshore” into the pad, and the door opened._


	18. Useless Sentiment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsumi confronts Cyrus in his office, finally learning the truth of what Team Galactic is aiming for...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is long enough to stand by itself! yay. Reading this over, I actually didn’t find much that needed changing. Mostly just internal consistency, and stripping out some of the weird details I’d put in the first time.

Mitsumi quickly slipped inside, and the door closed behind her. The room was dark, but perhaps it was just the black walls and dim lighting that gave that impression. It was completely empty.

Mitsumi walked up to the huge desk, the Galactic Logo embossed in the middle. The surface was spotless: not a paper, not a Pokéball, not even dust–nothing remained. She walked over to the bookshelves, eyes passing over dusty and worn volumes of mythology. One of them, “The Otherworldly Creature and other Forgotten Myths” caught her attention. She flipped through it and discovered that it contained an account, almost verbatim, of Cynthia’s myth. It was covered in red annotations. Mitsumi assumed it was Cyrus’s handwriting, though it was difficult to read. She quickly replaced the book, heart pounding.

_If this doesn’t prove it…_

As she walked past a smaller desk, the laptop sitting on top of it flickered to life. Several memos were left on the screen. Curiosity got the better of her, and she sat down to have a look. The first, titled “The Creation of Space” read as follows.

_“Some say the universe originated from a massive explosion. Similarly, Sinnoh is thought to have been formed by an explosion in ancient times. It’s widely believed that the explosion came from the power of a Pokémon. That Pokémon must have been the mythical creature considered a deity by the ancients. Our aim is not to capture the mythical Pokémon, but obtain its power…”_

Mitsumi, absorbed, opened the next memo.

_“Mythical Pokémon. According to myths, two Pokémon created Sinnoh with their power. They are much more powerful than regular Pokémon; surely a mere Pokéball would not be able to contain them. But with the Red Chain it may be able to shackle those Pokémon and use their power without restraint.”_

_The Red Chain._ Now Mitsumi knew that her worst-case theory was correct. She opened the final memo.

_“The Red Chain. As stated in the myth of the otherworldly Pokémon, the man brought together Knowledge, Willpower, and Emotion in order to summon the gods. The item that he created from their essence… a Red Chain. Using that Red Chain, the mythical Pokémon can be summoned and shackled to do as we command…_

_“The Pokémon of the three lakes and Mt. Coronet are somehow connected. The Lake Trio, known as the personification of Willpower, Knowledge, and Emotion… It is their power that we must gather in order to create a Red Chain. With the Red Chain and Charon’s Dimensional Machine, I will force open the door to another world and drag those godlike Pokémon to my heel.”_

That was it. That was how it all fit together. Cyrus would use Charon’s machine to access the pocket dimensions where Dialga and Palkia slept. The Reverse World, the Lake Pokémon–that was all just collateral damage. Cyrus and Charon probably had no idea the extent of the damage they’d caused… but even if they knew, would they care? If Cyrus’ goal was to create a new world, it wouldn’t matter how much destruction he caused to get there.

“Somehow, your presence does not surprise me.”

Mitsumi jumped and almost fell off the chair. She whirled around to see Cyrus step off the warp panel in the back of the room. They locked eyes.

“In fact, I should have known that you would come,” Cyrus continued, “I knew after our battle in Celestic, after the growing reports of your interference in our plans… I knew that it was only a matter of time until you wound up in my office.”

Cyrus walked slowly around the room like a puma, watching her all the while. Mitsumi moved to the center of the room to get out of his way.

“But I must give you credit, Mitsumi,” he said with a cold laugh, “Waiting until the halls were cleared for the assembly was an ingenious strategy. You’re much cleverer than I had expected. Well done.”

“Speaking of that assembly,” said Mitsumi, “You put on quite a show. I wasn’t expecting you to have so much power over them. How long do you think they’re going to believe your lies?”

“So you did hear my speech,” Cyrus snickered, “It’s true, insofar as my intention to create a new world. But that world isn’t for the likes of Team Galactic. I seek an entirely new world solely for myself. If it was not created in my image, it could never be a complete and perfect world. There are too many unpleasant variables in the average human being.”

“What are you talking about?” said Mitsumi.

“You’ve seen my minions of Team Galactic,” Cyrus answered, “You yourself must know that they are uniformly useless and incomplete, but that is of little concern to me. They are but pawns, the vessel for my change. For now I unfortunately need them, as I cannot achieve my dream alone. Once I have rebuilt the world, I will dispose of them accordingly.”

“I don’t know what bugs me more,” said Mitsumi, “The ends you have in mind, or the means you’re using to get there.”

“I know why you’re here,” Cyrus continued as if he hadn’t heard her, “I can sense it in you. It’s about the Lake Trio, isn’t it? You and that figurehead champion tried to stop us at Lake Valor. Well, I have no further need for them. If your heart aches to save them, go right ahead. The door is to the right. I couldn’t care less. Indeed, it will spare me the trouble of disposing of them.”

Mitsumi clenched her free hand; the other hand tightened around Rotom’s Pokéball.

“But, I must say…” said Cyrus, “You are a remarkable specimen. Those Pokémon have nothing to do with you, do they? But still you come to rescue them, out of the goodness of your heart? Such pitifully useless sentiment… It’s illogical and irrational. Pity and compassion are products of the weak and faulty human heart.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Cyrus,” said Mitsumi sharply, “They’re not the only reason I came all this way. In fact, they’re not even the main reason.”

“Oh?”

Before Mitsumi could continue, the door slid open and a commotion could be heard. Two grunts burst in with Saturn at their heels, dragging two captives behind them.

“Master Cyrus!” said Saturn, “We found these two snooping around!”

The grunts threw their bound captives on the ground. Mitsumi gasped as she recognized them: One was Reggie, his face a bit bruised and his clothes rumpled. The other was Handsome, who was in much worse shape than his companion. They’d stripped him of his wig, and one of the grunts dangled it to show Cyrus.

“What? You again!” said Saturn as he noticed Mitsumi, “Master Cyrus, please allow me to dispose of her–!”

“No,” said Cyrus coldly, “You have quite rudely interrupted us.”

“…Please accept my apologies,” said Saturn, bowing deeply.

Cyrus turned to Mitsumi.

“You brought company.”

“Yeah, they’re mine,” said Mitsumi. She walked over to stand firmly between her friends and Cyrus, “And they’ll be walking out with me once I’ve finished with you.”

“I hope you have a plan,” Handsome whispered. Mitsumi said nothing.

“So… you did not come alone after all…” mused Cyrus, “What is it, girl, that drives you to get involved in Team Galactic’s affairs? But do not answer that for me now. I believe we have some important business to take care of first….”

Cyrus took a Pokéball from the pocket of his coat.

“A rematch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately I changed Mitsumi’s team such that redoing battles would be a hassle, so there probably won’t be any actual written-out battles until the finale, orz


	19. Not Quite Too Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsumi may have defeated Cyrus, but the fight is far from over...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter this time, but they'll get much longer from here on.

_Mitsumi took on Cyrus in a grueling 6-on-6 battle, using Pokémon that had accompanied her throughout her journey. This time, the battle was much less even; Mitsumi knocked out Cyrus’ Pokémon one by one, but he only managed to knock out one of hers–any time one of her Pokémon was in a pinch, Mitsumi switched it for a healthier one. Mitsumi finished the battle with Empoleon, and as she called out each attack she remembered the battles they’d shared together from the beginning. Cyrus’ final Pokémon fell, and the battle was over. Mitsumi had won._

_Cyrus, however, did not seem fazed by his loss. He scoffed at Mitsumi’s attachment to things like compassion and sentimentality. Mitsumi asked him, then, why the password to get into his office was ‘Sunyshore’. He looked away, saying that wasn’t any of her business. Cyrus left Mitsumi with a Master Ball as a sort of reward for her determination, and told her where to find the Lake Pokémon–he had no further need of them, and bigger things were waiting. The lights went dark, and the Team Galactic members disappeared._

_Mitsumi undid the ties around Handsome and Reggie’s wrists, and urged them to escape while she freed the Legendary Pokémon. She ventured to the next room, where the three elf-like Pokémon were trapped in capsules, but she couldn’t immediately find a way to free them. Suddenly an alarm sounded, and the glass trapping them disappeared. Mitsumi looked up to see Jupiter with her hand on a switch by the wall. Jupiter warned Mitsumi to stay out of Team Galactic’s way, for her own good. Then she left the room without another word. Mitsumi gathered up the legendary Pokémon and left as quickly as she could._

_Outside the building, Mitsumi met up with Handsome and Reggie. They rushed the injured legendary Pokémon to the Pokémon Center, and there they found Maylene asking frantically if anyone had seen Reggie. The boys got patched up a bit, and Mitsumi healed her own Pokémon. Handsome told the group he’d be heading to Mt. Coronet in pursuit of Team Galactic, as Cyrus had mentioned the mountain in his speech. He asked Mitsumi to stay out of trouble, but both of them knew the likelihood of her actually staying put was slim._

_Mitsumi took the recovered Lake Pokémon outside to set them free. Mesprit and Azelf rose into the sky, but Uxie lingered briefly. Mitsumi thanked it for answering her prayer back at Snowpoint Temple. Uxie smiled and replied, “But of course. This is the Pokémon World, is it not? This is a place where wishes come true, Mitsumi.” She was startled that it knew the truth about her, but before she could ask it to elaborate, it joined its fellow elves in the sky and disappeared. As Mitsumi watched it go, she couldn’t help clenching her fist a little._

_“If that’s true, Uxie, then I have only one wish…”_

 

Mitsumi awoke that night to the sound of thunder. She sat up in a daze, not entirely sure what was happening. She wasn’t in bed anymore, but in a grassy… a grassy what? The sky was purple…

_“Can you hear me? Hang on…”_

Her vision cleared, and she realized where she was with a start. She was almost certain she was in the Reverse World, but she couldn’t see the endless sky she’d become familiar with. The entire world was shrouded in pollution, from horizon to horizon. Only the island on which she stood was visible; Zero’s house was in front of her. Thunder roared and lighting flashed in the clouds above.

“No…” she said, “For it to be this bad… Are we too late…?”

“We’re not quite too late,” said a familiar voice. Mitsumi spun around, and her friend was there waiting for her. He looked haggard; there were bags under his eyes, and his clothes seemed less neat than usual.

“This is the worst the pollution has ever been. Team Galactic must have realized its goal…” said Zero, “Whatever they were trying to do with those Legendary Pokémon, they got it.”

“But I crushed Team Galactic and freed the Lake Trio!” said Mitsumi, “I beat Cyrus! How…?”

Suddenly she remembered Cyrus’s words: _“I have no further need for them. Indeed, it will spare me the trouble of disposing of them. More important things await me.”_

“Pollution flooded this world shortly before you defeated Team Galactic,” said Zero, “Our work is not done yet.”

“Cyrus had what he wanted that whole time…!” said Mitsumi, gritting her teeth, “If only I’d acted sooner…!”

“Mitsumi,” said Zero, “We cannot change the past, but we must do what we can to change the future. Listen to me. I am certain that Team Galactic is going to strike at Spear Pillar, the ruins of a temple atop Mt. Coronet. That is where the barrier between this world and the real world is weakest.”

“You’re sure they’ll attack there?” asked Mitsumi, though she felt certain of it herself.

“Spear Pillar is known as the origin point of Sinnoh, and with good reason. It is the spot where this world, the Reverse World, and all of the pocket dimensions touch, expanding outward from that point. The walls between dimensions are thinnest there. If Team Galactic really is trying to summon the deity Pokémon, that is where they will go to do it. You must go there and stop them before they can follow through with their plans.”

“Will you be there…?” asked Mitsumi as thunder rumbled overhead. Zero took her into his arms and brought her close, holding her so tightly she thought she might break. She could feel him trembling–was it from fatigue, or fear?

“I don’t know,” he said finally, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to enter the real world from here, even at Spear Pillar. The Reverse World is almost beyond repair…”

They were silent for a while. Zero released her, hands on her shoulders. He looked straight into her eyes.

“Mitsumi,” said Zero, “You are …my only… hope…”

Zero staggered and keeled over. The weak gravity slowed his fall, and Mitsumi rushed to catch him. They landed in the grass together; Mitsumi holding him tightly.

“Zero!”

“I’m all right,” he said faintly, his eyes still closed, “It takes so much energy to contact you, especially in such a short span as this… I might not be able to hold this forme much longer…”

_Forme…?_

“Please… go to Mount Coronet right away… I’m counting on you.”


	20. Spear Pillar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsumi rushes to Spear Pillar to stop Team Galactic... but is she too late?

_Mitsumi awoke in tears at Reggie’s house, heart racing. She had to get to Mt. Coronet as soon as possible! Using the dusk stone she’d found at Team Galactic’s base, she evolved her Murkrow into Honchkrow. She bade goodbye to Reggie and took off for Hearthome city._

_In Hearthome, Mitsumi switched gears and brought out her Rotom. Before they could get going, however, they were approached by Jun. Worried about the amount of time she had, Mitsumi told Jun to just get in and come with her. The three of them sped out to Mt. Coronet, passing confused hikers and startled wild Pokémon. Mitsumi filled Jun in on the situation with Team Galactic on the way, and Jun resolved to help her defeat them. Once they reached the entrance, the path got too rocky for Rotom to traverse, so Mitsumi recalled it. They would have to go the rest of the way on foot._

_They climbed up through the mountain’s interior, using their Pokémon to move obstacles, scale walls, and light dark areas. Here and there they fought Team Galactic grunts–already a bad sign. The higher they climbed, the more Galactic grunts they found. Before long they found their way outside, blinking in the brightness. They had emerged above the treeline, and before them was a mountainside blanketed in snow. Climbing the mountain on the outside proved to be far more difficult than it had been from the inside. The deep snow and rugged terrain hindered their progress. Finally they found another cave entrance, and they hurried to get out of the cold. Mitsumi had snow all down her boots and Jun’s pants were soaked, but neither of them seemed to care. There were bigger things at stake._

_At last they emerged once more into the open. Ominous clouds had formed overhead, casting a chilling shadow over them. Before them were the ruins of a temple, its great columns broken and weathered. And standing at the center of the ruins, his back to them, was none other than Cyrus. Just past him was a giant archway made of plastic and metal: the Dimensional Machine. It was easily twice, three times the size of the one Mitsumi had seen by Celestic town._

_Jun ran forward, calling out to Cyrus, but Mars and Jupiter stepped into his path to stop him. Mitsumi ran up behind him, and the two of them took on Mars and Jupiter in battle. It was a fairly one-sided fight; Mitsumi’s Empoleon and Jun’s Infernape made quick work of the admins’ Pokémon. Just after the admins’ defeat, sudden footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. Mitsumi turned: Handsome, one arm in a sling, approached, with Cynthia and Lucas hot on his heels…_

 

“Team Galactic!” Cynthia’s voice was sharper now than Mitsumi had ever heard it, “As the Sinnoh Pokémon Champion, I order you to stop this at once!”

“Yes, and while we’re at it, you’re under arrest!” Handsome added, brandishing a gold badge, “As an agent of the International Police, I hereby place you under arrest for conspiring to destroy the world!”

“Fools…” said Cyrus. He still refused to face them, “Both of you must know that you’ve done too little too late.”

Cyrus raised his arms, holding a long, red item in each hand.

“Now that you are all here, sit back and relax,” he continued, “Everything is ready for the creation of a new world. Now all will end, and everything will begin.”

Suddenly there came from below the sound of hundreds upon hundreds of bells: the Bronzong were beginning their daily ritual. The mountain shook with the force of their sound. Mitsumi stole a glance at her Pokétch: it was exactly noon.

_That’s what he was waiting for…!_

“The sound of bells rings in the dawn of a new world,” said Cyrus calmly, “With these Red Chains, made from the concentrated essence of knowledge, emotion, and willpower, I will pry open the portal to another dimension!”

“Do you even know what will come about if you succeed?” cried Cynthia.

Cyrus didn’t hear her. The machine before him began to power up, and a bright light sparked between its gates.

“What’s happening?” asked Lucas frightfully. Cynthia put her arm around his shoulders and brought him closer to her.

The chains in Cyrus’s hands began to glow.

“I command you to unleash your power for me…”

A red glow washed over the area. The light beneath the archway intensified, and from it stepped a giant blue sauropod-like Pokémon, ornamented with steel armor. Embedded in its chestplate was an enormous blue diamond. No sooner did the Pokémon set foot on the ground than the left chain flew from Cyrus’s hand and grew in length, binding the creature and sweeping it to the side. It let out a pained roar that made the stone columns shudder.

“Dialga, the heart of flowing time!”

A second bright light appeared in the gate, and from it stepped a second giant Pokémon, this one resembling a theropod. Its armor playing sparkled like the inside of an oyster shell, and in each of its shoulders was embedded a huge pink pearl. Just like Dialga’s chain before it, the second chain flew from Cyrus’s hand and grew, binding the new Pokémon. It, too, let out a cry of pain that threatened to bring down the last standing columns.

“Palkia, the breath of stable space!”

While Jupiter and Mars watched in excited awe, the others looked on in horror. Dialga and Palkia were more massive and beautiful than Mitsumi could have imagined, but she had no time to stand and admire them. She could tell as they struggled against their bindings that they were in unimaginable pain. She clenched her teeth and balled her fists, wanting more than anything to move, but knowing there was little she could do.

Cynthia watched in horror, mouth agape.

“The two deities that never should have met… meet,” she said finally.

For a while there was silence, other than the continued struggling of the shackled Pokémon. Cyrus seemed to be reveling in the scene, watching as his dreams finally came to fruition.

“I’ve waited so long for this moment, Dialga and Palkia,” said Cyrus, “Now hear me. Shaping this world is a double-spiral of Time and Space. Yes, the very things that you have the ability to control! You will lend me your power! I will have your abilities as mine! With the power I wield, I will create an entirely new world! The incomplete and ugly world we have now will disappear–I will personally dispose of it!”

A dark power began emanating from the shackled Dialga and Palkia.

“To those who bear witness to my feat, look!” Cyrus cried, “I am resetting everything to zero; nothing can remain! Look, for this sight will be your last!”

“Wait!” cried Mars, “What about us? Your loyal administrators–?”

For the first time since Mitsumi had been there, Cyrus turned to look at them.

“Administrators who were beaten time and again by mere children?” he said with a cold laugh, “My condolences. However, it is all for the making of a complete world. A world of complete perfection. Nothing so vague and incomplete as spirit will remain.”

Cyrus looked back to the deity Pokémon.

“Master Cyrus–!” Mars started to run towards him, but Jupiter held her back. The purple-haired woman shook her head.

“This is what we’ve wrought,” said Jupiter, “The least we can do is face it with courage.”

The clouds swirling overhead expanded, and the sky darkened all across Sinnoh. Professor Rowan looked out the window of his lab, concern written into his features. Terry pushed his sunglasses up in Solaceon town, his Crawdaunt drawing closer to him. In Floroama, Layla put her watering can down and turned fearfully toward Mt. Coronet. Cheryl paused on her way to Pastoria, her Chansey squeaking nervously. In Celestic, Caroline looked up from her research, taking note of the swirling clouds outside the window. In the nearby Alamos town, Riley took his girlfriend’s hand and looked up towards the mountain as his Lucario growled nervously. Even in Snowpoint, Candice could tell that something grave was happening at the mountain to the south.

In Veilstone city, Reggie and Maylene drew closer together as wind played in their hair. Both of them watched the mountain in fear.

“Mitsumi…” said Reggie, “Please tell me you’ve got this under control…”

Spear Pillar began to fragment and break apart, columns crashing to the ground. The sky grew darker and darker, almost black. Cyrus laughed cruelly as his plans were set in motion, his new world taking shape. Dialga and Palkia let out pained roars.

“We can’t just sit here!” shouted Jun.

“But what can we do!?” asked Lucas, “At this rate, we’ll–!”

There was a sudden flash, and three lights–pink, blue, and yellow–raced around the temple. They came to a rest between Cyrus and the deity Pokémon: the pink one in front of Dialga, the blue in front of Palkia, and the yellow in front of Cyrus. The light faded and revealed that the three lights had been the elves.

_We cannot let you interfere with the balance of nature any longer!_

Uxie’s voice echoed in the heads of all present.

“… I should have expected as much,” Cyrus replied, “The three Pokémon that symbolize spirit have come to protect Sinnoh. Hah! The most pathetic and worthless of ironies–that spirit should come to stop the birth of my new world.”

“We won’t let you get away with this!” shouted Jun, “Even the Pokémon understand that you’re doing something wrong!”

“Even if they understand, their coming here is in vain,” Cyrus spat back, “You, Lake Pokémon–It takes all three of you to stabilize even one of the Pokémon that controls time or space. Do you _really_ think you can hold your own against them both?”

_There was a reason that those two were to remain separated!_

“So much meaningless drama,” sighed Cyrus. He turned away from the elves and faced the onlookers instead, “Now, Mitsumi. You’ve constantly interfered in our plans, but only you will be forgiven in this new world.”

“Why me?” asked Mitsumi.

“Why her?!” cried Mars.

“You’ve proven yourself equal to, if not stronger than, myself,” continued Cyrus, “Only those worthy of living in my perfect world will exist there. You and I will rule like gods, ushering in a new age of humanity. I have no concern about your will to protect spirit. After all, when I am through with my work here, no spirit will remain.”

“No…” said Mitsumi, “No way! I don’t want any of that! If that’s my reward for beating you… then _no thank you!!_ ”

Mitsumi’s hands shook; her fists clenched so hard her knuckles hurt.

“I’ll stay here with this world,” she said, “I’ll protect it to the end. Even if that means giving my own life…”

_Right now, I have nothing left to lose. If I came here to stop this from happening, and couldn’t even do that… what’s the point?_

“Hm. I’m disappointed,” said Cyrus, “That you would value your spirit more than your own life… I had thought better of you. But unfortunately, you do not have a say on whether or not you survive. You will continue on living in this new reality, as will your friends. As will everyone. But all spirit will forever disappear. It will be ripped away… from you! From your Pokémon! From those precious to you! You will all be broken down and remade in my image!”

“No!” shouted Mitsumi.

“It is time! My vision will become reality!”

As Cyrus turned back to Dialga and Palkia, Mitsumi fell to her knees.

“We’re too late…!”

Suddenly a voice cried out, shaking the whole temple with its force:

_“It’s not too late!”_


	21. The Forgotten Pokemon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsumi and Giratina join forces to stop Cyrus, plunging into the Reverse World.

There was an unearthly roar, rocking the temple even more forcefully than the voice had. The light from the Dimensional Machine flickered, and its inner workings whined as it began to lose power. With a sudden _crack_ , the machine collapsed in on itself. The ground shook violently, and a dark void opened up beneath it, swallowing it whole.

“What?!” Cyrus cried, jumping backwards to get out of the way. For a while there was a tense silence; everyone’s eyes on the patch of darkness on the marble floor. From the void emerged a giant shadowy figure with glowing red eyes. It spread two batlike wings, three red spikes protruding from each. A dark goop dripped from its wings and splattered on the ground. The three elves sped away, hiding behind Mitsumi as she got to her feet. Her mind, however, was somewhere else.

_Why did that voice sound so familiar just now…?_

“Could it be…?” gasped Cynthia, “The otherworldly Pokémon…?!”

“Huh? What?” said Jun.

“I was just doing research on this,” said Cynthia, “We all know the legends about Dialga and Palkia, but less well-known are stories of a third Pokémon that appeared alongside them. One with as much power as Dialga and Palkia, but with dominion over none of nature’s forces. A Pokémon that dwells in a world on the opposite side of our own.”

The otherworldly Pokémon pulled itself from the void, its form taking shape. The shadows faded, revealing a giant, six-legged creature with gold armor. It flew around the temple on ethereal black wings.

“A Pokémon whose name was never to be spoken—Giratina!”

The Pokémon called Giratina let out a roar and flew low over the spectators’ heads. While everyone else ducked, Cyrus ran back to stand near Dialga and Palkia. Giratina came to a landing in front of Mitsumi, spreading its wings and lowering its head threateningly.

“Interesting…” said Cyrus, “Giratina… somehow I knew you would come as well. Unfortunately, you’ve arrived too late.”

Cyrus peered over his shoulder at the still-open portal behind him.

“What timing,” he snickered, “With my world quietly replacing yours… it’s time to make my escape!”

Cyrus sent out his Honchkrow and hopped onto its back, driving the Pokémon into the shrinking void and away. Before anyone could do anything, the portal closed behind him.

“Damn it!” said Jun, “If we’d only been a little bit faster–!”

“We cannot let him escape,” said Handsome, “He alone has the power to compel Dialga and Palkia. To stop them, we will need to apprehend him.”

“Yeah, except he just _did_ escape!” shouted Jun, “Now what are we going to do!?”

“Everyone, calm down,” said Cynthia, “We may still have a chance to stop him.”

“Oh yeah? How?” said Jun.

“Giratina is said to live in its own world,” said Cynthia, “There’s only one place that portal could have gone to: the fabled Reverse World. If it exists at all, that is…”

Mitsumi’s heart skipped a beat just hearing those words.

“But it’s no use,” said Lucas, “The portal’s all closed up! Now we’ll never catch him…”

“Not necessarily,” said Cynthia, “Giratina was also described as having the power to travel between worlds at will.”

“Then all we have to do is get it to work with us, right?!” said Jun, “Giratina, what do you say?”

Giratina let out a roar before turning to face Mitsumi. Its red eyes met hers.

“Giratina…” said Mitsumi, “Let’s work together. Let’s find Cyrus and destroy him! Open a portal to the Reverse World!”

Giratina nodded. It let out another roar and a strong wind whipped up, blowing millennia's worth of dust off the ancient floor. The marble tile below was so finely polished, Mitsumi and the others could see their reflections in it clearly. Almost as though it were meant to be…

“A giant mirror,” said Mitsumi.

Giratina fired a beam from its mouth at the smooth tile, and another shadowy portal opened up on its surface. Giratina then lowered its head to Mitsumi’s level, eyeing her expectantly.

“You want me… to get on?” said Mitsumi. Giratina growled urgently. Mitsumi scrambled to climb on top of Giratina’s head.

“Cynthia, you’d better come too!” said Mitsumi.

“I’ll go with Togekiss,” said Cynthia, “You two get going! I’ll catch up!”

“Alright,” said Mitsumi, “Giratina–let’s go!”

Giratina rose up, and Mitsumi grabbed its horns to steady herself. It flapped its wings and lifted off before diving into the portal.

* * *

As they transitioned between worlds, Giratina glowed purple beneath Mitsumi. By the time they emerged on the other side, Giratina had changed its form entirely. Its legs had turned into spikes, and its wings became ghostly streamers tipped with red cones. It was a form built for slipping through the sky in near-zero gravity.

“This must be your Origin Forme,” said Mitsumi. Giratina grumbled a positive response, “And this… this is the Reverse World.”

Mitsumi looked around, absorbing everything. As far as the eye could see, the Reverse World was more stunning and mysterious than she could ever have dreamed, despite the clouds of pollution that cluttered her view. Flying through the Reverse World on Giratina’s back was an experience like no other.

“I’ve waited so long to see it…” said Mitsumi, “The beautiful Reverse World.”

Giratina growled in agreement, and Mitsumi patted its head.

“This must be nothing special for you, though,” said Mitsumi, “It’s your home, isn’t it?”

A Togekiss pulled up next to them, Cynthia on its back.

“So this is the Reverse World…” she said, “I have to admit, I was kind of skeptical that it existed at all, since the legends about it are so few and far between. I had to do a lot of work to dig up what little information I have.”

“Right,” said Mitsumi.

“The legend told of a world on the opposite side of ours… this world,” said Cynthia, “But my question is–why does this world exist? Why is Giratina here—its only resident?”

Mitsumi only shrugged. She knew why, of course–Zero had told her everything. Would Cynthia believe her?

“I heard though,” said Mitsumi, “Someone told me once… this world works to stabilize the real world. Anything that is out of whack in our world gets corrected by this world.”

“Interesting…” Cynthia mused, “I’ve also heard that before. If that’s true… I wonder where Giratina figures into all this. I wish we weren’t making this amazing discovery in such dire circumstances…”

“Yeah,” said Mitsumi, “Let’s focus on finding Cyrus though, alright?”

“Right, of course…”

Mitsumi directed Giratina downward, and Cynthia followed. Both of them combed the area for any sign of the Galactic leader or his Pokémon. The islands around them were distressingly still.

Mitsumi sensed movement out of the corner of her eye and turned. A lanky man with a honey-brown beard was waving at her from an island nearby.

“Newton?!” said Mitsumi.

“Huh?” Cynthia turned and followed Mitsumi’s gaze, “My god–who’s that?! There’s someone else in the Reverse World!?”

Cynthia stopped her Togekiss, and Giratina came to a halt as well.

“He went that way!” shouted Newton, his voice faint, “Toward the village!”

“Sir, who are you?” Cynthia called back, “How did you get here?”

“Newton Graceland!” Newton responded, “But that’s not important! Hurry–but be careful! Anything you do can have a negative effect on the real world, so don’t touch anything!”

“Got it,” said Cynthia, “Thank you! We’ll come back for you when we’re done here!”

“Don’t worry about me!” said Newton, “Just go! We don’t have a lot of time! Mitsumi–good luck out there!”

“Thanks!” Mitsumi called back.

As the girls and their Pokémon continued moving, Cynthia shot a worried glance at Mitsumi.

“Newton Graceland…” said Cynthia, “I have to admit, I thought he was dead.”

“You know him?” asked Mitsumi.

“Not directly,” said Cynthia, “His Reverse World theory is pretty well-known in certain academic circles. Rather–he’s well known for being a hack.”

“What?!” said Mitsumi, “But he discovered the Reverse World, didn’t he?!”

“Well…” said Cynthia, “Not a lot of people believed him, to be honest. He never got around to publishing any evidence for his theory, so most scholars just ignored him. A few months ago, he disappeared without a trace.”

“Oh…” said Mitsumi.

“How do you know him?” Cynthia furrowed her brows, “He _did_ call out to you by name…”

“He’s, uh,” said Mitsumi, scrambling for a fib, “My dad was friends with him.”

“I see,” said Cynthia, “Graceland is known for his theory that the Reverse World is connected to this one like a strand of DNA. I’ve read his paper, but I have to admit that it didn’t exactly persuade me at the time.”

“Huh?”

“You know what genes are, right?” said Cynthia, “Genes are considered the blueprints of all life, for both humans and Pokémon. You know that genes are contained in a strand of DNA?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mitsumi was recalling her biology class, “That sounds familiar.”

“A DNA strand consists of two chains of opposing characteristics, wound together in a spiral called the Double Helix,” Cynthia continued, “If one of the chains were damaged, the other could replicate it. Neither chain can exist without its opposite.”

“Yeah, but what does this have to do with–?” said Mitsumi.

“Graceland’s Reverse World theory was similar to the concept of genes. This world is the exact reverse of our own, and neither can exist without the other. It’s like the two chains that make up a strand of DNA.”

“Whoa…” said Mitsumi.

“If the two worlds are so dependent on each other…” said Cynthia, “I guess it’s only natural that Giratina would want to interfere with Cyrus’ plans. After all, destroying our world would probably destroy this one too.”

They flew on, passing stacked islands and warped houses, but Cyrus was nowhere to be seen. In some areas, the pollution made it difficult to navigate. Mitsumi gripped Giratina’s horns tightly, anger boiling up inside her. If Cyrus’ destruction continued, the pollution would only worsen.

“What are all these purple clouds?” asked Cynthia, “They don’t look natural…”

“They’re pollution,” said Mitsumi, “Thanks to Team Galactic, the Reverse World isn’t behaving like it should.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“That machine that Cyrus had–they’ve been working on it for a while,” said Mitsumi, “But it damages the Reverse World every time they try to use it. These purple clouds are the result.”

“How awful…” said Cynthia, “But, wait–Mitsumi, how do you know that?!”

“Uh–!” said Mitsumi. Before she could answer, however, she spotted more movement in the small village down below. A man disappeared into one of the accordion-shaped houses.

“I think I saw him!” said Mitsumi, “Giratina, let me off!”

Giratina descended to a stone stairway, and Mitsumi hopped off its back.

“I’m going in,” she said.

“By yourself?!” said Cynthia, “That’s dangerous!”

“If it wasn’t really him, you two should go ahead of me and keep looking,” said Mitsumi, “Even you, Giratina. I can handle this myself. I have a flying Pokémon, so I won’t be stuck here.”

“But–!”

“I beat him yesterday in his own territory. Today should not be any different.”

Giratina looked at Mitsumi somewhat dejectedly, but then it nodded and turned to Cynthia. The two of them continued on, leaving Mitsumi to hop inside the house.

* * *

The gravity inside was normal, and Mitsumi stepped a bit heavily at first. She laughed: how could she have forgotten the Reverse World’s little quirks?

She dashed through the building, checking every room. Oddly, many rooms had windows to the outside, despite not having any outside-facing walls. Each room she checked, however, was empty. Empty, empty, empty… had she only imagined seeing Cyrus? Or could it have been someone else entirely…?

“What a strange and pristine world…”

Mitsumi jumped, but headed towards the voice. She’d seen Cyrus after all. Her heart fell a little, but she steeled her nerves all the same. There were more important things to take care of.

Mitsumi emerged into a giant room with floor-to-ceiling windows, though the windows had no glass. There he stood, his Honchkrow at his side, gazing out at the endless horizon.

“Could it be that the world I’d imagined… a world without spirit… existed the entire time, in a place beyond seeing?”

Mitsumi approached, her boots clomping on the wood floor. She made no effort to conceal herself, and neither did Cyrus attempt to flee.

“You’ve found me yet again, child,” said Cyrus, “Why did you come all this way alone? What is it that drives you to involve yourself in an adult’s affairs?”

Mitsumi carefully gathered her words.

“I came all this way… because I know that the universe depends on me,” she said quietly, taking her place beside the older man, “Our world, the Reverse World, Zero–they’ve all put their blind faith in me, risking everything on me and my Pokémon. Yes… I think I understand now. The very reason I came to the Sinnoh region… was to stop you.”

For a while Cyrus was quiet. When he spoke, his voice was just as cold as before.

“You are propelled by such sentiment…” he said, “It baffles me, but does not surprise me in the least. You’ve shown yourself to be just that sort of person.”

“What can I say?” said Mitsumi, shrugging slightly, “Guilty as charged.”

“You mention the Reverse World… how do you know of its existence?”

“How I know isn’t important,” said Mitsumi, “What’s important is that I can’t let you get away with this. The Reverse World balances ours–if you destroy our world, this world will also be destroyed. You can’t have one without the other.”

“Interesting,” said Cyrus, “So if these two worlds are balancing each other to remain in existence… That otherworldly Pokémon must play some role in maintaining that balance. That must be why it interfered. But all of that is irrelevant. What matters now is that I defeat that Pokémon, so that it cannot interfere again. With it gone, I can create my new world without any obstacles–this world be damned!”

“I won’t let you!” said Mitsumi defiantly, turning to face him, “No matter how many Pokémon you defeat, no matter how many worlds you set out to destroy, you will always have one obstacle—me!”

“This is my justice! No one can interfere!” Cyrus spat back, “I won’t lose! Not to you, not to that shadowy Pokémon! Not in any worthless world!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cyrus’ monologue from the Distortion World has now changed hands… twice? I think? In the original PMP, Newton was the one who talked about the RW being like DNA. But I didn’t like how that slowed the story down, so I gave it to Cynthia instead.


	22. Battle for the Fate of the World

Cyrus leaped out the window, Honchkrow diving below him to break his fall. Mitsumi watched him go and balled her fists, angry with herself that she hadn’t just ended it here–!

Giratina’s roar caught her attention; she whirled around to see it approaching, Cynthia beside it on Togekiss. Mitsumi leaped out the window and landed on its back.

“Ahead!” said Mitsumi as she climbed up to Giratina’s head, “He went straight ahead on Honchkrow! Let’s battle him fair and square!”

Cynthia nodded, and Giratina roared.

Suddenly, a barrage of poison-needles flew towards them, and Giratina moved one of its shadowy streamers to protect Mitsumi from the onslaught. Cyrus was just up ahead, flying on his Honchkrow while commanding his Golbat to fight.

“Just try to catch me!” cried Cyrus.

“Giratina, attack!” cried Mitsumi. Giratina’s gold faceplate split into two halves and slid backwards, revealing the Pokémon’s mouth. It fired a blue, sphere-like attack at Golbat, which almost knocked the bat Pokémon out of the air.

“Togekiss, use metronome!” said Cynthia. Togekiss generated a random attack, flamethrower, and Golbat was taken completely by surprise.

“No you don’t! Weavile, cover Golbat!” cried Cyrus. He tossed a Pokéball in the air that released his Weavile, which landed nimbly on Golbat’s back.

“Golbat, shadow ball! Weavile, icy wind!”

Giratina took the shadow ball attack, shielding Mitsumi at the same time. Then it fired an orange beam at Golbat, badly damaging it. Cynthia instructed Togekiss to use air slash. The air slash attack weakened the icy wind and hit Weavile at the same time.

“Okay, Giratina! We’re getting closer!”

Giratina opened up its faceplate and fired an orange beam, which hit Golbat and defeated it. Cyrus recalled both his Pokémon.

“Tch…!” he said, “This is only the beginning!”

Honchkrow alighted on an island and Cyrus jumped off of it, recalling it. Cynthia jumped off Togekiss to land on the same island, and Mitsumi joined her. Giratina and Garchomp took their proper places while Cynthia recalled Togekiss.

“Now that we can fight without restraint,” said Cyrus, “I’ll beat all of you, here and now!”

“Not going to happen!” said Mitsumi, “Cynthia, let me and Giratina take the rest of this one!”

Cynthia nodded and recalled Garchomp.

“So, Cyrus…” said Mitsumi, “Now what Pokémon will you use?”

Cyrus clenched his teeth and tossed the Pokéballs in his hand.

“Gyarados, Weavile, take them!”

Cyrus’ previous Pokémon popped from their Pokéballs. Weavile snarled, brandishing its claws, and Gyarados let out a roar.

“Alright, then I’ll go with Riolu!” said Mitsumi. She sent out her Pokémon, and though it bravely faced its opponents, it was totally dwarfed by the giant dragon Pokémon beside it.

“Giratina, you take Gyarados!” said Mitsumi, “Riolu and I will handle Weavile!”

Giratina nodded to her and let out a roar, its faceplate sliding back to reveal its jaws.

“Gyarados, handle yourself accordingly!” shouted Cyrus, “I will deal with the girl!”

Gyarados roared. The two giant Pokémon engaged each other, firing attacks and coiling around each other the way they would have naturally fought in the wild.

“Riolu, aura sphere!”

“Not that again! Ice punch!”

At first the weak gravity caught it off-guard, but Riolu managed to fire off a sphere of aura energy. The aura sphere hit Weavile hard, but Weavile leaped through it and punched Riolu with an icy fist. Riolu flew backwards, tumbling in the lower gravity. Mitsumi caught it and set it on its feet again.

“Riolu, don’t let it get its way! Drain punch!”

“We can’t lose! Weavile, shadow claw!”

Weavile’s attack hit first, sending Riolu sprawling backwards. Riolu launched off the ground and went in for a punch. The attack hit Weavile hard, sapping its energy on contact. This defeated Weavile once and for all, and Cyrus recalled it.

“I will not let this fight be a repeat of yesterday’s match!” roared Cyrus, “Honchkrow!”

Cyrus sent his Honchkrow into the battle. Mitsumi recalled Riolu and quickly switched out for Luxray. Cynthia wasn’t sure who to watch—Giratina facing off against Gyarados, or Mitsumi’s all-out battle against Cyrus.

“Tybalt, thunderbolt!”

“Honchkrow, drill peck!”

Luxray’s attack struck first, almost taking out Honchkrow in one shot. Honchkrow flew forward in a corkscrew motion, hitting Luxray head-on with its beak. Luxray yowled and got out of the way, but the attack didn’t seem to have done significant damage.

“Okay, Tybalt, we have this in the bag!” said Mitsumi, “Give it another thunderbolt!”

“Psychic!”

This time Honchkrow moved faster, hitting Luxray from a distance with a psychokinetic attack. The attack was powerful, but it wasn’t enough to overwhelm Luxray. The lion Pokémon responded by loosing another 10,000-volt lightning strike, knocking out Honchkrow once and for all. Cyrus recalled it.

By this time Giratina had finished off Gyarados. The atrocious Pokémon lay motionless on the ground, and Giratina let out a triumphant roar above it. Cyrus recalled it as well.

“Once again, you push me to this extreme…” he said, “I will not accept this! My true power will shine through! Houndoom, take this!”

Cyrus let his Houndoom out of its Pokéball, and Mitsumi reached for Empoleon’s. Before she could switch Pokémon, Giratina floated to her side of the field. It turned back to Mitsumi and growled softly.

“… you want to fight for me?” said Mitsumi. Giratina nodded. Mitsumi smiled as she recalled Luxray, “Alright, you win. For the final round… we’re in this together!”

Giratina roared and flew in a circle before curling in on itself, minimizing the space it took up on the battlefield. Mitsumi could barely see Cyrus and his Pokémon from behind Giratina’s huge body.

“Houndoom, do not let its size daunt you! Flamethrower!”

“I don’t think so! Giratina–!”

It suddenly occurred to her that she had no idea what attacks it knew. How was she supposed to direct it in battle if she didn’t know what to tell it? However, something echoed in her brain, perhaps a memory, perhaps a command. It almost felt as though a familiar voice was whispering suggestions in her ear.

“Try shadow force!”

Houndoom fired a stream of flames from its mouth, but Giratina vanished just before they made contact. Mitsumi had to jump to avoid catching fire herself.

“It’s gone…!” said Cynthia. Houndoom looked around in confusion, and Cyrus turned around several times, head on a swivel.

“Impossible!” he said, “Pokémon that big can’t just–!”

Giratina reappeared just as quickly as it had gone, hitting Houndoom with a full-on tackle. Houndoom managed to counter with a crunch attack, which proved super-effective; Giratina let out a startled _wark_ and shook Houndoom off.

“Yes, Houndoom! Use your type to your advantage!” cried Cyrus, “Another crunch!”

Again, something echoed in Mitsumi’s brain.

“This time use dragon claw!”

One of Giratina’s body spikes glowed purple as the giant Pokémon rushed for Houndoom. It clotheslined the fire-type Pokémon, sending it flying across the field. Houndoom quickly recovered and dove at Giratina again, sinking its teeth in. Giratina cried out again and vanished, leaving Houndoom baffled on the empty field.

“What kind of Pokémon–?!” cried Cyrus.

“I trust you, Giratina!” said Mitsumi, “Bring it home!”

There was an otherworldly roar as Giratina reappeared, ramming into Houndoom for the last time. Houndoom staggered and fell on its side, defeated. Cyrus recalled it bitterly.

“This… this cannot be…” said Cyrus, “I won’t accept this! My loss should not have been possible… what with the power of legends on my side…”

“Wrong again, Cyrus,” said Mitsumi, “That power was never yours. And even if you had somehow acquired the powers of a god, you would never have been able to transfer that power to your Pokémon.”

“So you’re saying that it’s my _Pokémon’s_ fault I’ve lost?!”

“That is not what she’s saying,” said Cynthia. She stepped up to put a hand on Mitsumi’s shoulder, “She’s saying that you could not have shown your Pokémon what it meant to have such power. You, who feel nothing for your Pokémon, nor for anyone else. A Pokémon Trainer’s job is to teach their Pokémon, through love and friendship, the true meaning of strength. Am I wrong, Mitsumi?”

“You said it better than I could have,” Mitsumi admitted.

Cyrus stood up. He looked at Giratina hatefully.

“Are you satisfied, having defeated me?” he grumbled. Giratina looked away, flying to be by Mitsumi’s side instead.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Cyrus, “Even if you beat me here, Dialga and Palkia are still building my new world. I just have to wait here for them…”

Cynthia glared at him.

“Why do you seek to change the world?” she asked, “If you hate our world so much, you should just go off somewhere alone. Find somewhere where you can live without seeing others.”

Mitsumi had never heard Cynthia speak so harshly, and it took her by surprise.

“Hmph,” Cyrus turned away, “You’ll never understand… Your emotions blind you to the true nature of this world.”

Cynthia scoffed and turned to Mitsumi.

“Forget him,” said Cynthia, “Mitsumi… don’t believe his lies. Don’t let him make you think for a moment that this world is incomplete.”

The champion put her hands on Mitsumi’s shoulders.

“The world awaited your birth,” she said, smiling, “Not only yours, either. The Pokémon with you. The people close to you. All Pokémon and people were born because they have a part in the world. We all may be different, but the presence of Pokémon unites us. That is why we can battle and trade with anyone we choose. I have a feeling that Giratina understands that as well.”

“Silence!” cried Cyrus, “Enough of your blathering! Just listening to you makes me sick!”

Cynthia and Mitsumi turned to face Cyrus as he rounded on them, fuming.

“ _That’s_ how you justify spirit as something worthwhile!?” Cyrus continued, “That is merely humans deluding themselves that they are happy and safe! The ugly emotions boiling inside me—rage, frustration, hatred—they arise because of my own incomplete spirit!”

His voice echoed in the silence of the Reverse World.

“… Enough,” said Cyrus, “We will never see eye to eye. This, I promise you.”

“Stop, Cyrus,” said Cynthia, “It’s time to go.”

She walked forward and prepared to take his wrist, but he swatted her away.

“I will break the secrets of this world,” said Cyrus, “With that knowledge I will destroy this incomplete world and build one anew, in my image. One day you will awaken to a complete world. A world without spirit.”

“I’m having trouble understanding how a world can be complete if it’s missing something important–!” said Cynthia.

“Leave me alone!” roared Cyrus. Cynthia drew back. She turned to Mitsumi.

“Come on. Perhaps the best place for him is here, where he can’t bother anyone.”

“Yeah,” said Mitsumi, “Giratina… can you take us back? We still have to stop Dialga and Palkia.”

Giratina nodded before lowering its head so that they could climb on. With the two of them onboard, Giratina lifted off, leaving Cyrus alone on the island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cyrus having Golbat instead of Crobat was not an error; I didn’t think Cyrus would have been able to form a strong enough bond with Golbat to evolve it.
> 
> Another thing I’m a liiittle sad about: the original final fight contained references to fights Mitsumi’s friends had in other parts of the story. I decided to cut those references for this because I skipped over revising those parts. Oops.


	23. Because You Were There

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder how many people reading this are reading PMP for the first time….
> 
> I know this one’s wayyyy shorter than like every other chapter I’ve posted thus far but I kinda wanted to post it on its own lmao

Giratina flew noiselessly through the Reverse World, clouds of pollution parting before it. Though she was happy that she’d defeated Cyrus, Mitsumi still felt a pang of guilt. The one person she absolutely wanted to fight alongside hadn’t shown… Well, perhaps he’d been cheering her on from elsewhere. It was a vast world, after all. He could be anywhere…

“Mitsumi,” said Cynthia, “I want you to remember something. Since there is sadness, we can feel joy. When there is anger, compassion is born. Happiness may not last forever, but neither does despair. Emotions are constantly making way for each other–and that’s normal and fine. If no one felt anything, we would become complacent. It would get boring, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah…” Mitsumi agreed.

“Cyrus refused to realize that our world is just fine the way it is,” Cynthia continued, “He had simply closed his heart to the possibility that having different emotions makes us stronger. When things are sad, we work to make them right. When things are going well, we know our hard work paid off.”

Mitsumi nodded.

“Heyyyyy!” a voice called below them. Mitsumi looked: it was Newton again!

“Cynthia, before we go back…” said Mitsumi, “I want to say goodbye to Newton and Giratina.”

“Fine by me, but be quick,” said Cynthia, “I don’t know how things are going on the other side.”

Mitsumi directed Giratina down to the island where Newton stood, and she and Cynthia hopped off its back. Newton rushed to greet them.

“Did you do it?” he asked, “Did you put that guy in his place? Where is he, anyway?”

“We think he’ll be just fine here,” said Cynthia, “With no one else to tell him off. He can think about what he’s done for the rest of eternity.”

Newton nodded.

“Personally I would’ve liked to see him behind bars myself, but… this place is a sort of prison in its own way.”

Mitsumi, however, wasn’t paying attention. She was watching Giratina, who eyed her back quietly. Slowly she approached it and reached out, taking its beaklike faceplate in her hands. She pressed her forehead to it as a sign of respect and gratitude.

“Thank you, Giratina…” she said, “If you hadn’t stepped in, Cyrus would have won… so, truly, thank you.”

Cynthia and Newton watched them. Newton couldn’t help smiling a little.

Mitsumi pulled back, releasing Giratina slowly, before walking back over to Newton.

“I guess I have to thank you too, Newton,” she said, “Thanks for all the help you’ve been.”

“Hey, it was nothing,” he said, “Not like I had anything else to do!”

“And, um,” Mitsumi added, “If you see Zero, tell him that I–!”

“Mitsumi,” said Newton, pointing behind her, “Why don’t you tell him yourself?”

Mitsumi spun around, heart racing, expecting to see Zero–but it was just Giratina, right where she’d left it. However, the giant Pokémon began to glow. Small orbs of light came out from its body and encircled it, encasing the Pokémon in a glowing, shrinking cocoon. Mitsumi watched in awe as Giratina’s giant body was reduced to something smaller, but still far taller than Mitsumi was…

The light faded and the orbs dissipated.

Where there had been Giratina, now there stood Zero.

“Zero… this whole time you… you…!”

She ran up to him, unable to believe her eyes. Here he was, the same man she’d dreamed about, down to the last detail. He smiled at her warmly.

“You were here… after all…”

Mitsumi covered her mouth with her hands. Zero laughed a little and took Mitsumi in a tight embrace, lifting her clear off the ground. Mitsumi’s heart pounded against her ribs. This–this was what she had been waiting for. Her entire journey had been less about traveling and meeting all the Pokémon, less about finding her reason for being here, less about making sure Team Galactic didn’t get away with their plans, and more about making sure that this one person would be safe.

It was _his_ voice she’d heard before Giratina appeared at Spear Pillar.

Mitsumi couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears rolled down her cheeks and soaked into Zero’s coat.

“It’s all right, it’s all right,” he said. His voice soothed her, “But we cannot talk here. We have more important things to attend to back in your world. I will explain everything later. Come, the others are waiting.”

Zero released her, setting her gently back on the ground. He nodded to Cynthia and Newton.

“Don’t get into too much trouble, Zero,” Newton said with a smirk, “I’ll hold down the fort here for a bit.”

“But your family in Eterna–!” Zero protested.

“I’ll figure something out, don’t worry. Once you square up with Dialga and Palkia, this world will probably go back to normal, and I can get my machine working again. You go.”

Zero smiled wholeheartedly.

“Thank you, Newton.”

Zero began to glow and returned to his Pokémon form once again. He nodded to Mitsumi and Cynthia. Mitsumi climbed on Giratina’s head, and Cynthia followed.

“Gira—I mean, Zero…” said Mitsumi, “Let’s… let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when I started playing with the idea of redoing PMP i started wondering what the Tumblr Discourse would have to say about Zero and Mitsumi as an age gap ship…. but then I remembered that if their _age difference_ is what’s bothering you, I don’t know what to tell you lmao


	24. Back to Our Original World

“Where are they?”

Back at Spear Pillar, Handsome, Lucas, Jun, and Jupiter stood in one part of the temple, while Mars stood off brooding by herself. Handsome had placed both admins under arrest, though it didn’t quite matter now. Progress on Cyrus’s new world had slowed thanks to the Lake Pokémon’s efforts to calm the legendary Pokémon, but everyone knew that they wouldn’t hold out much longer.

“I’m worried,” said Lucas, “What if… what if they never come back?”

“Don’t say that!” shouted Jun, “They’re gonna come back, I know it!”

“I just hope Mitsumi knows what she’s doing…” said Lucas, “I mean, she’s with Cynthia, but…”

“I have faith in her,” said Handsome, “She’s shown me multiple times that she’s more than capable of defeating Cyrus. Surely she’s won by now.”

Suddenly the ground shook below them, and the trainers struggled to keep their balance. There was a loud crashing sound as a portal opened up in the tile floor between Dialga and Palkia. A Pokémon emerged from it, glowing purple as it changed forms. Giratina had returned to its Altered Forme, and everyone present was relieved to see Mitsumi and Cynthia riding on top of it!

“They did it!” Jun cheered.

Giratina paused briefly to lower its head and allow Cynthia and Mitsumi to disembark. Then it turned to the other dragons, still struggling against their chains. Giratina’s gold claws began to glow purple, and it slashed at the chains binding Dialga and Palkia. The Red Chains disintegrated, and the two dragons stretched to their full heights, roaring in relief. The destruction around them halted abruptly.

“Cynthia…! You’re alright…!” shouted Lucas, tears welling up in his eyes. He dashed over to her and leaped into her arms. She returned his hug just as tightly, smiling with a mix of relief and exhaustion. Jun ran up to Mitsumi and gave her a tight hug as well.

“Mitsumi… man, I was afraid you wouldn’t make it…” he said. She patted his back comfortingly.

“It’s alright,” said Mitsumi, “We won fair and square.”

While the others were happily reuniting, Handsome took a look around.

“Where’s Cyrus?” he asked.

“We left him there,” said Cynthia, releasing Lucas as she spoke, “He wouldn’t come with us, but that’s fine. He’ll have miles of solitude in which to sit and brood, and he won’t be able to bother anyone.”

“Well, all right,” said Handsome, “I have these two admins under arrest, so I’d better head back. I’ll need to recover before going to hunt down the others.”

“Got it,” said Mitsumi. Handsome turned to her.

“I’m sorry if I was rude to you in the past,” he began, “I didn’t think that a civilian would be able to take on something of this nature. You have, of course, showed me otherwise. I now realize that if it wasn’t for you, Team Galactic would surely have succeeded in their terrible plan. Thank you. Not just on my behalf, but for the International Police, and also for my wife and daughter in the Johto region who are eagerly awaiting my return. If not for you, all of our lives would be drastically different. Ah, but I have talked too long. My superiors are expecting me.”

“I understand,” said Mitsumi.

“The more wonderful the meeting, the sadder the parting. Farewell, Mitsumi! Perhaps one day we’ll cross paths again.”

With that, Handsome gathered Jupiter and Mars and set off down the mountain.

“Do you think he’ll be okay?” asked Lucas, “I mean, he almost died on the way up here…”

“I think he’ll be just fine,” said Cynthia.

The four of them turned to face the legendary Pokémon. The three elves floated alongside the three dragons, forming a perfectly balanced group of six. The sight of them together was awe-inspiring. Mitsumi felt tears willing up in her eyes, though she wasn’t quite sure why.

“Dialga and Palkia,” said Cynthia, “If you would… please restore the world to the way it was before. The way it was meant to be.”

Dialga and Palkia nodded. They both let out a roar that could be heard for miles around. The dark clouds receded, and the shattered fragments of Spear Pillar returned to their original places. Columns rose of their own accord, cracks filled back in, and fallen stones stacked into mighty walls. Across the region, the fraying edges of reality sewed themselves back together. Sinnoh was repaired as quickly as it had been damaged.

“Oh!” said Mitsumi. She ran forward to address the dragons herself, “Dialga? Palkia?”

The two deities looked down at her, then bent their heads for a closer look. She felt almost insignificant next to them, but there was something she wanted to make absolute certain that they fixed for her.

“Um…” she said, “Can I ask you a favor?”

Dialga and Palkia nodded to her. She plucked up her courage and asked what was on her mind.

“In the Reverse World there’s still a lot of pollution. If you can… can you clean that up for me?”

The two dragons looked at each other and nodded silently. They lifted their heads to the sky and let out deafening roars, the jewels on their bodies glowing. In the portal just beyond Giratina, Mitsumi caught a glimpse of the Reverse World. The purple clouds dissipated one by one, leaving the world just as pristine as she remembered from her earliest dreams. Giratina followed her gaze, watching through the portal as the Reverse World returned to normal. Though it was silent, Mitsumi could imagine what must have been going through its head, watching its beautiful world be restored…

“Thank you,” she said, “Zero will be happy you did that.”

The two dragons looked at each other, and at Giratina, before letting out a final roar. They glowed pink and blue and lifted off into the sky, circling each other as they flew. The trails of light they left behind stretched into the sky in a double helix… and then, in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

Even seeing this brilliant display, Cynthia couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“The two deities, Dialga and Palkia…” said Cynthia, concern in her voice, “Now that they have crossed paths… Who knows what will happen?”

Everyone was silent, mulling over Cynthia’s words.

“I… I’m going to head out,” said Lucas, “Can I borrow your Togekiss, Cynthia?”

“But of course,” said Cynthia, “I suppose that means I will take my leave as well. You two will be all right?”

“Yep!” said Jun, “But hey, don’t forget: party at Mitsumi’s tonight!”

“What? Hey!!” said Mitsumi, “They don’t even know where I live! _You_ don’t even know where I live!”

Jun laughed.

“Just kidding, jeez,” he said, “I’m hightailing it too. Unless you’re not going to be fine by yourself?”

“I’ll be all right,” said Mitsumi, “I have Giratina’s help.”

Jun looked up, and Giratina nodded to him.

“Oh man,” said Jun, taking a step back, “That’s a huge Pokémon! Nothing’s ever cast a shadow that big on me before! Just you wait, Giratina! Next time we meet, you bet I’m gonna battle you!”

Giratina let out a wheezy sound that could have been interpreted as a laugh.

Cynthia sent out Togekiss and Garchomp, while Jun sent out Staraptor.

“I’m probably just heading home to Twinleaf,” he admitted, “A lot of excitement for one day… you?”

“Yeah… I’m going home,” said Mitsumi.

“Maybe I’ll see you there!” said Jun with a grin. He hopped on Staraptor and flew away, growing ever-smaller in the distance. Cynthia and Lucas nodded to each other before hopping on their Pokémon and following Jun into the sky.

Spear Pillar was silent now. The three elves circled Mitsumi wordlessly before teleporting away, probably back to their lakeside homes. That left her and Giratina alone at the summit. The sky was clear now, and the sun shone brightly onto the rough stone. From where they stood, Mitsumi could see all of Sinnoh. It was breathtaking, seeing the entire region from high up. She could pinpoint all the places she’d been, and even catch a glimpse of several she had yet to visit. Now that Team Galactic was finished, and she could finally focus more on her journey… maybe she’d try to visit every city she could see from here.

“If I tell you where to go… can you go there?” asked Mitsumi. Giratina nodded and bowed down, allowing Mitsumi to climb on top of its head.

“All right. It’s south of here, and a little to the east. Twinleaf town?”

Giratina grumbled in the affirmative and lifted off, tucking its legs close to its body. Soon Spear Pillar, Mount Coronet, and the Reverse World were far behind them…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some thoughts on this chapter:  
> \--1. Handsome’s family in Johto are the protag of my Johto continuity, Nami, and her mother. Originally that line was supposed to be a wink and nod to the Johto fic I’d planned to follow PMP with, but never got around to it.  
> \--2. Similarly, Cynthia’s foreshadowing (“Who knows what will happen?”) was a wink/nod to the short stories that were also supposed to come after PMP, but which I also never wrote out. These stories (loosely) followed the sequence of events from the DPPt movies; the idea was that Cyrus bringing Dialga and Palkia together was the cause of their conflict at the start of the Rise of Darkrai. I'd like to write those out someday but *shrugging emoji*  
> \--3. The Spear Pillar episode of Pokemon Generations had some influence on how I revised the ending of PMP; it came out in a rly timely manner haha. ~~And also I seem to have predicted it in[an early PMP comic from 2008](https://quilofire.deviantart.com/art/Deleted-PMP-scene-99084529)~~


	25. Mitsumi's Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At long last, Mitsumi learns the truth of her existence in this world.

Mitsumi’s mother was pleasantly surprised to see her daughter back so soon after starting her journey, and even more so to discover that she’d brought a friend back with her. The three of them sat and talked all afternoon as Mitsumi recounted her journey, using her journal as a reference but cleverly leaving out her supernatural correspondence with Zero and the events from the past few days.

Remembering every step of her journey and all the people she’d met brought a smile to Mitsumi’s face. It was strange–the reality was that she’d only been here for little more than a month, yet she’d already done so much. In such a short span of time she’d already made irreplaceable friends and saved the world from certain destruction. And if Reggie’s example was any indication, there was much, much more for her to do. She could keep challenging gyms or try out contests, or even aim to catch all the Pokémon in Sinnoh. There’s no end to Pokémon–that’s the feeling she got, thinking about what the future had in store for her.

It had been a long, tiring journey for a little more than a month. But she’d had the time of her life in the process–even when she thought things could not have gotten worse; even when everything balanced on her ability to beat someone in a Pokémon battle…

They had a low-key dinner that evening, and afterwards Johanna wanted to hear from Zero. He tried to make up a story for himself, but had trouble keeping details consistent, and finally came up with the excuse that he was a scatterbrained trainer from a far-off land who had seen too much to keep track of. However, he did mention that he owes his life to Mitsumi, and that’s why they’ve decided to travel together. It was a decision they’d made on the way back to Twinleaf, as Sinnoh sprawled out below them, but even then it seemed somewhat inevitable that the two of them would end up traveling together.

“We don’t have an extra bedroom, I’m afraid,” said Johanna as it grew closer to bedtime, “Looks like Zero would be too tall for the couch, too.”

“I’ll be all right,” said Zero with a laugh, “We can work around it. I am not a very demanding man.”

“Well, alright,” said Johanna with a smile, “I’m heading up to bed, dear. Turn out the lights when you come upstairs.”

“Okay.”

Johanna shuffled upstairs, leaving the two of them in the sitting room. Zero and Mitsumi turned back to each other. For a while they simply gazed at each other; the gravity of what they’d done hadn’t quite hit them yet. Zero had taken his coat off, along with his gloves, so he no longer exuded such a formal air. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and knitting his fingers together.

“Mitsumi, I think you’re ready now…” said Zero, “Ready to know the reason for your existence in this world.”

Mitsumi’s heart skipped a beat.

“You knew this whole time, didn’t you,” she said.

“Yes, and I’m sorry for keeping it from you all this time. But now that you know the truth about me, you have the context for the rest of what I’m about to tell you.”

“The truth about you…” Mitsumi echoed, “That you’re really Giratina, you mean.”

Zero nodded to her.

“Before everything, before Team Galactic was even a blip in someone’s imagination,” Zero began, “I had a horrific dream. I dreamed that my beautiful Reverse World was filled to the brim with toxic pollution, and there was nothing I could do… until a girl came along who saved me, saved my whole world. When I awoke, I knew that I could not possibly ignore this dream. It was so vivid that it had to have been more than a simple nightmare.”

“Then what?” asked Mitsumi.

“I had to know if there was some truth to what I had seen. I rushed to the bubbles on a grand search of the Sinnoh region, trying to see if the girl from my dream existed. To my relief, she did! So I watched over her, hoping to see if destiny smiled on her… but the more I watched, the more I came to realize that this girl was… well, she wasn’t exactly hero material; let’s put it that way. She disliked Pokémon and only wanted to be left alone, shutting herself up in her room for long hours and snapping at her mother. She was probably never going to save anybody. By the time I found her, the events of my nightmare were already coming to pass, and pollution began to appear in my precious world. My rage built, and I tried to find some way to stop what was happening, but found that I was a prisoner in my own kingdom. The damage to the Reverse World rendered it impossible to escape, even for its ruler.”

“Again, I had a vivid dream. This time, it was about a girl in another dimension. It was revealed in the dream that this girl had many things in common with the first: the same name, the same age, the same birthday… The two of them even sounded similar. This girl was very interested in Pokémon and desperately wanted to go on an adventure, but Pokémon were only a figment of the imagination in her world.

“I had no time to waste. Upon waking, I called out to my father and asked for his help finding her.”

“Your father–that being Arceus?”

Zero smiled.

“You’re very clever, Mitsumi.”

“Well,” said Mitsumi bashfully, “I just know a lot about Pokémon…”

“You do indeed. In any case, I asked Arceus to confirm if the girl I’d seen in my dream really did exist. To my relief, he confirmed that she did.”

“And that girl… was me?”

Zero nodded.

“My father didn’t understand my urgency and couldn’t see why I was so fixated on this one girl, but after I begged him to help me, he finally agreed to bring you into this world. When both worlds experienced a storm at the same time, Arceus performed a miracle that switched your soul with hers.”

For a while, Mitsumi was quiet, mulling this over. Thinking back on it now, it seemed almost obvious that Zero was the one responsible for her coming here: he was the only person who’d known the truth about her. And yet, hearing it outright like this was almost more unbelievable than the fact that she was here at all.

“So it was you after all,” she said finally, “You’re the reason I came to this world.”

Zero nodded. Mitsumi hesitated before her next question.

“I mean…” she said, “I really… everything I’ve ever wanted has happened because I’ve come here, but… Will there ever be a time when I can, you know… click my heels three times and go home?”

“I understand your position,” said Zero. He looked away, “I tore you away from your family, your home, based solely on a vague premonition–it’s only natural that you should want to find a way to go back. However… I regret to inform you that what Arceus did was indeed permanent.”

Mitsumi looked at her feet silently.

“You must dislike me now,” said Zero, looking away, “Honestly, I don’t blame you.”

“No! It’s all right,” said Mitsumi, voice quivering. She looked up and smiled back at him, even though her eyes were filled with tears, “Just think of what would have happened if you hadn’t brought me here! Cyrus would’ve won, and you would be…”

Mitsumi wiped her eyes and sniffled.

“Mitsumi,” said Zero quietly, “You do not need to hold back your tears anymore. You have already proven your strength.”

Mitsumi rushed into Zero’s arms and sobbed. It felt like she hadn’t had a proper cry since she’d gotten here–all the pent up confusion and joy and despair came flooding out all at once. She cried for a long time, and Zero was content simply to comfort her.

Finally, as she began to quiet down, he lifted her into his arms and stood up.

“Come now. Which room is yours?”

“I… actually, I don’t remember.”

“Well, we’ll just look inside each one until we find it.”

Zero climbed up the stairs somewhat awkwardly, perhaps unaccustomed to climbing stairs in normal gravity. Mitsumi remembered that his house had only had one story, and all the stairs she’d seen in the Reverse World were outside. She couldn’t help giggling as he fumbled from stair to stair, holding her with one arm as he steadied himself on the banister with the other.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“It’s nothing,” she said. She’d have to teach him more about stairs the next day. In fact, there were probably many things she’d have to teach him about, considering…

The first room that they checked turned out to be hers. Everything was as she’d left it: the TV, the Wii, the bed, the nightstand with its Starly alarm clock, the bookshelf with its unfamiliar books…

Zero put Mitsumi down on the bed.

“If you need to get changed, I’ll step out,” he said. Mitsumi nodded and Zero slipped outside, closing the door behind himself. Mitsumi quickly changed into pajamas, these different from the ones she’d traveled with. It felt good to wear a clean set; she’d been planning to wash hers the day things had escalated and hadn’t gotten around to it since.

“Okay. You can come back in, Zero.”

Zero re-entered the room, closing the door carefully behind himself. Mitsumi rummaged in her closet for blankets and pillows while Zero took a seat on the bed and watched her. She managed to find a thick comforter and a pillow, along with a large sleepshirt that she hoped would fit him.

“Is this good?”

“Absolutely. I’m a Pokémon, I don’t require much.”

“Here, put this on to sleep in,” Mitsumi held the shirt out to him, but he shook his head.

“No need. Watch.”

Zero’s clothes began to glow, and suddenly instead of the black shirt and slacks, he wore a loose tank top and Sheildon-patterned boxers.

“This is what Newton sleeps in. Is this acceptable?”

“W-what?!” Mitsumi yelped, covering her eyes, “How do you know what he _sleeps_ in!?”

“That’s. Not important,” said Zero, “I’m not an expert on human sleepwear, so I’m only guessing here.”

His clothes began to glow again, and this time they transformed into silk pajamas like Mitsumi’s–although these were in his size, and a metallic grey.

“Better?”

“Yeah…” Mitsumi lowered her hands, “Those look good on you, Zero.”

Mitsumi busied herself with setting up the makeshift bed, trying to put the image of Zero in boxers out of her mind. She arranged the comforter and pillow in a bed-like fashion on the floor, hoping it would suffice.

“Oh, right, that reminds me,” said Mitsumi, “I’m curious–why did you take on a human form?”

“Hm?”

“I mean, you could have just showed up in my dreams as Giratina,” she said. She held up her hand and mimicked a talking face, “You could’ve been like, ‘Hello, I’m Giratina, the world is in danger. Help’. Or something like that?”

“Ah, well,” said Zero, looking away, “Even beyond the fact that I cannot speak as a Pokémon… my true form is very intimidating. I didn’t want you to be afraid of me, especially after what I did…”

“You wouldn’t have scared me,” said Mitsumi. “I mean, maybe I would’ve been a little intimidated at first, but–Giratina was actually one of my favorite Pokémon back home. I think it’s really cool that I got to meet one in person.”

The look on Zero’s face at that moment was indescribable.

“I… I see…” He flushed a little bit, looking down and smiling to himself, “Your favorite Pokémon…”

Mitsumi giggled and went to sit next to Zero on the bed. She looked at him quietly for a while, taking in the details of his face–clearer now than they’d ever been in her dreams or behind a mirror. She reached out her hand and gently touched his cheek, as if to affirm his existence. He was here, by her side at last…

“Mitsumi,” said Zero. He took her hand gently, “I’d like to give you all of my gratitude for what you’ve done. You saved my beloved world… I really cannot express how thankful I am.”

Mitsumi smiled.

“To be honest…” she said, “I want to thank _you_. Even though you pulled me away from everything I’d ever known… It’s because of you that all my wild and crazy dreams came true. I couldn’t have done it without you…  because you continued to be there for me…”

Suddenly Mitsumi remembered something. She ran over to her bag and took out her journal. From its pages she gently pulled out the Gracidea flower she’d received weeks earlier. It had already dried out, its petals brittle. She carefully handed it to Zero.

“What’s this?” Zero asked her.

“It’s a Gracidea flower,” said Mitsumi, echoing Layla’s distant words, “People give them to each other to express their gratitude. I, um… I think you should have it, Zero.”

Zero tenderly held the flower to his heart.

“Thank you, Mitsumi,” he said, “I will cherish it. Let’s keep it in your journal so it doesn’t get crushed, though. Alright?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

Mitsumi put the flower back into her journal, and the journal back into her bag. She’d only filled the journal up halfway… how many more entries would she write from here? How long would it take to fill it?

As she approached the bed again, Zero took both of her hands in his.

“I have… a bit of a selfish wish,” he said, voice low, “Mitsumi… From here on, the only place I want to be is by your side, always.”

Mitsumi was quiet.

“What a coincidence…” she said finally, “I have the same wish.”

She reached out and took his head in her hands. It was strange to look down on him like this, to see his face from this angle. She was accustomed to seeing him from below… but she rather liked the view from up here.

Mitsumi bent down and kissed him on the forehead, brushing his hair out of the way.

“Is it weird, that I like you like this? I mean, since you’re…”

“Hm? I don’t think it is,” Zero reached up and put his arms around her waist, bringing her closer, “I feel the same way, after all.”

“Good,” said Mitsumi.

“It can be our little secret,” said Zero playfully. His tone of voice made her cheeks burn.

“Y… Yeah…” was all she could manage to say, “We should, um. We should think about heading to bed. It’s getting late… I’m totally worn out from today, too.”

“I suppose you’re right,” said Zero. He released her and lay down on the bed, putting his head on her pillow.

“Hey!!” said Mitsumi, “You have to sleep on the floor!”

Zero shook his head and smiled contently, eyes closed.

“Well, I’m certainly not sleeping on the—wait. I see what you’re doing.”

Zero’s smile widened into a grin.

“You really are a Pokémon, aren’t you?”

“What was _that_ supposed to mean!?”

The two of them laughed.

“You’re not going to move, are you,” said Mitsumi, hands on her hips.

“No, I won’t,” said Zero, “I spent this whole month watching you sleep with your Pokémon around you, green with envy. I’m not letting this chance slip–!”

“You watched me _sleep?!”_

“Well–!”

“Fine, whatever,” Mitsumi threw up her hands, “But if you try any funny stuff, you’re sleeping on the floor. Got it?”

“Understood,” said Zero, “I will refrain from jokes and tickling.”

Mitsumi laughed, but she couldn’t help wondering: maybe he really _didn’t_ know what she’d meant by that? He might have been a Pokémon, but he was the only one of his kind, after all…

Mitsumi climbed in bed, and Zero joined her beneath the blankets. They drew close together, noses almost touching. Mitsumi sighed happily and closed her eyes, listening to the sound of him breathing next to her.

Something soft brushed her lips, and she opened her eyes to see Zero’s face inches from hers.

“Payback for last time,” he said warmly, “You _did_ say I could have as many kisses as I wanted.”

“Haha, yeah, I guess I did…”

She kissed him back gently, lingering there for a while. She was in a new world, leading a new life, and yet somehow, she felt that this was exactly where she was supposed to be. From tomorrow, she’d begin again: as just another trainer, on a journey to be the best…

The two of them had the same thought at the same time.

_“Thank you, my one.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’re reading this: thanks so much for reading. This fic was a formative experience for me as a writer, and I made so many long-time friends because of it. It was fun reworking it to see what I could do now with the same idea. Whether you read the original or started with the revision: thank you. It really means a lot to me.
> 
> Some parting thoughts:  
> \--In the original, Giratina consulted Palkia for help getting Mitsumi to the Pokemon World. I changed it to Arceus to close a loophole I’d been wrestling with for years; i.e. if Arceus is an omnipotent god, why didn’t it step in to stop Cyrus? Zero doesn’t go into detail about his encounter with Arceus, but behind the scenes I can tell you that Arceus agreed to help Giratina on the condition that it would only interfere once. In other words, if Arceus did this favor for Giratina and Mitsumi didn’t end up saving the world, Arceus would not swoop in to save everyone. Arceus knew what Cyrus had planned but didn’t see him as a threat, so Giratina decided to bank on Mitsumi taking its side.  
> \--Zero actually has quite a bit of backstory that I didn’t get to addressing, which I will add as a bonus chapter.  
> \--Zero is asexual-in that he has no concept of sex, thanks to spending most of his life as a biologically sexless eldritch horror. Once he realized what he was feeling for Mitsumi, he consulted Newton about the ways humans show affection. Most innuendo is utterly over his head.  
> \--“but what about the implication that he and newton–” Giratina watched Newton sleep also. He spent a lot of time observing human behaviors so that he would be convincing to Mitsumi.
> 
> Again, thanks so much for reading. One last thank-you drawing can be found [here](http://magu-art.tumblr.com/post/166383057117/unearthed-a-sketch-ive-been-sitting-on-for-nearly).
> 
> As for my next Pokemon project–who knows?


	26. The Origin (Bonus Chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zero’s backstory was something I’d planned to address in the original (albeit in side stories after the fact), but just never got around to it. It had never been entirely fleshed out, but I decided to go back to it while working on the revision and managed to sprinkle elements from it throughout the main story.
> 
> While I feel it’s important (and does tie up a few things I’d hinted at during the revision), it does put a sort of uncomfortable spin on Zero as a character. So, just be warned.
> 
> Context: Newton and his associates set up shop in the Reverse World to develop and test their inventions on-site. Their base is entirely self-sustaining, with solar-powered generators to power their electronics, and a small crop of food to supplement what they bring in from the real world.

_This… if this model is to be believed, then…. we can’t follow through with this._

Newton called his assistants into the main room one night, his tone of voice grim. Zero and Charon joined him quizzically, donning their white coats out of habit more than anything. It was fairly common for them to gather at odd hours, but rarely on such short notice. Something wasn’t right. Zero had never seen his mentor look so defeated, even after all their failed tests and crashed algorithms.

“Teacher, is something wrong?” said Zero.

“Everything,” said Newton, “I’m afraid we’ve made a terrible mistake. If I’d known what it was capable of from the start, I never would have designed it…”

“What you you mean?” said Charon.

“I’m calling off the Giratina project,” said Newton.

His associates stared at him, mouths agape.

“Now?!” said Zero, “You can’t just–we’ve come so far!! Why?”

“Doctor Graceland, please tell us what’s wrong,” said Charon.

“This machine…” said Newton, “If we were to build it exactly according to the blueprints… it would torture and ultimately kill Giratina in the process of copying its powers.”

Zero froze, and Charon frowned next to him.

“So what? It’s one Pokémon, isn’t it?” said Charon.

“ _It’s one Pokémon_ –do you even hear yourself?” snapped Newton, “Something like this isn’t worth taking a life. There’s only one Giratina in the whole world, and you’re willing to sacrifice it for an experiment that may not even work?”

“But–!” Zero spluttered in protest, “The lives we could save with this technology–!”

“Would you have Giratina’s blood on your hands, then?!” Newton spat back.

There was a very pregnant silence between them. Newton turned back to the computer and began punching buttons on the keyboard. The plans for their new machine appeared on the screen, rendered in a simple blue wire frame.

“Sir….? What are you doing?” asked Zero.

“I have to destroy these plans.”

“What do you mean!? It’s the key to our study of the Reverse World, isn’t it–!?”

“We already have the Dimensional Machine,” said Newton, “Its functionality may be limited, but we have to use that as our starting point. Torturing a Pokémon to gain its power is barbaric, and I won’t sink to that level. If these plans fell into the wrong hands…”

 _Delete all files pertaining to Project Giratina?_ the computer prompted.

“No–!” Zero cried out, but it was too late. Newton had already hit enter, and onscreen the files dissolved one by one. The men watched in silence as months and years of hard work slowly evaporated.

“… Shortsighted….” Charon cursed under his breath.

“Doctor Graceland…” Zero’s voice came out quieter than before, but trembling with anger.

“Gentlemen,” said Newton, “I plan to continue studying the Reverse World in the way I always have. The Dimensional Machine is enough to get me here and back. But I recognize that I hired you to help me build a new technology, not to study an ecosystem. I won’t hold it against you if you decide to back out.”

The others were silent, teeth clenched.

“That is all. You’re dismissed.”

* * *

Zero stormed down the hall to his room, slamming the door behind him. He worked almost feverishly, sifting through his mess of papers and models in search of anything he could use. He eventually dug a piece of paper and a pencil from his things.

"Graceland is a fool,” he said darkly, “We have so much more to gain than what we lose from sacrificing one single Pokémon.”

He’d always been proud of his photographic memory, and he hoped it would serve him well now. He could remember pages he’d seen only once with a particular clarity–something like the Copying Machine, which he’d spent months slaving over, day in and day out, he could recall as easily as his own name. Transcribing the plans would take a long time, but Zero wanted to have a hard copy. After all, what would he send to the patent office once his machine was complete?

“Wait for me, my beautiful world…” he mused to himself as he started in on the first schematic, “You’ll be mine in due time…”

* * *

Charon left the Reverse World the following morning. He’d signed up to build machines, not to count blades of grass. Newton was sorry to see such a brilliant mind go, but deep down he was relieved. Something about Charon had always put him off. Zero, however, remained for several more months, helping out with modifying the existing Dimensional Machine. Considering his student’s horrified reaction to his destroying the plans, Newton was a little wary of Zero’s sudden enthusiasm for the new project. Zero made him less nervous than Charon had, but the boy was young, and had a stubborn personality. He spent long hours shut up in his room after the day’s work was done, and a twinge of dread always knotted Newton’s stomach when he thought about what the boy might be up to.

Not too long after Charon’s departure, it became clear that something was amiss. Newton began to notice clouds of purple smog in the Reverse World–smog that should have been impossible given the Reverse World’s purifying properties. He took samples of it, but was unable to determine what it was made of. To make matters worse, the Dimensional Machine was suddenly failing much more often. It became harder and harder to cross the threshold between worlds, before finally, one day, the machine stopped working altogether.

Newton broke the news at dinner following his final failed test.

“Something has gone wrong,” he said, “For one reason or another, the Dimensional Machine is malfunctioning. It won’t let me get back to the real world, no matter where I try to use it.”

“So we’re trapped here?” said Zero, dropping his spoon.

“Essentially,”  said Newton, “I’m sorry, Zero, but I’m afraid we can’t run any more tests until we figure out what happened. I’ll have to take stock of how much food we have, and then–!”

Zero stood up, knocking over his chair.

“Sorry, there’s something I have to do,” he said suddenly, “I’ll have it ready for you tomorrow!”

Newton watched quizzically as his associate ran from the room.

_What could he have in mind…?_

* * *

“This is my chance,” said Zero to himself, tweaking a final screw, “It’s just a prototype, but it should be fully operational. If this works, we will be able to continue working here as long as we please…”

Zero slipped the completed prototype into a bag.

“I had the feeling the Dimensional Machine was on its last legs,” said Zero, “But with this, we’ll have all the power we’ll ever need, indefinitely…”

He slipped out the front door and bounced away in the low gravity, heading toward a darker part of the infinite sky. He knew Giratina lurked in the shadows, avoiding the sun–he’d seen it pass by his windows at night, a terrifying behemoth of red and gold. He and Newton had never encountered it in broad daylight, but it seemed to check in on them frequently once the solar lights in the house were out.

“Giratina!” he shouted, “Where are you?”

He leaped from island to island, avoiding spontaneous trees and dizzying falls. Finally he set up at the base of a pillar of ice; the first in a series stretching far into the distance. He could see a lakeside town reflected in it; a ferry carrying vacationers down a narrow fjord. With Giratina’s power, it would have been easy to visit there in an instant…

“Now, come to me, Giratina,” said Zero, settling in for a long wait, “Lend me your power…!”

As he sat, his ears began to ring with something akin to static–barely noticeable at first, but soon growing loud enough to drown out his own thoughts.

“Agh, what is this?” He shook his head, “I can’t be losing my hearing, not now…!”

The static grew ever louder, developing into a reverberating pulse that almost sounded like words.

“Giratina…” Zero clenched his teeth, “Where are you…?”

He thought he saw a flash of red between the pillars–but was his brain just playing tricks on him in the darkness?

“Just a little closer, and you’ll fall into my trap–!”

Suddenly the static resolved into something he could understand.

  
the voice said. It echoed angrily, painfully inside his head, as though the anguish of all the sufferers in hell had been given a voice that only he could hear.

Glowing red eyes and a gaping, toothless jaw were the last things Zero saw.

* * *

Breakfast the following day marked the first time Zero had been late to something in all Newton’s years of knowing him. Newton spent much of the morning searching for his associate, turning the house upside-down before venturing toward the village. He couldn’t imagine what Zero would be up to; their makeshift base was just about the only sign of life in the entire realm. The longer he searched, the more worry gnawed at the back of his mind. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible had happened.

Newton finally found the man leaning against one of the empty houses, arms folded, staring into the distance. He let out a sigh of relief.

“Zero!” he said, “There you are. I was looking all over for you!”

Zero made no response. It was almost as if the boy hadn’t heard him. Newton took a step closer.

“What have you been up to this whole time?”

Still no answer. Newton faltered.

“Zero,” he said cautiously, “What was that thing you were going to show me?”

Zero turned to look at him, but something wasn’t quite right. Newton had never seen his student scowl quite so deeply, and there was something off about the way he stood–almost as though he’d watched people stand nonchalantly like that, but didn’t know properly how to do it himself.

“Zero…?” said Newton. He froze in place, “No, you’re not Zero. Who are you?”

‘Zero’ lowered his head defiantly, glaring at Newton with such intensity that he felt his blood chill.

“Where is Zero? What did you do to him?”

“There is no Zero,” the voice that came from his student’s throat sounded completely, unnervingly unnatural, “Not anymore.”

“What have you done to him!?”

“He was…” ‘Zero’ paused, “An annoyance.”

“An annoy–what are you saying?” Newton began to panic, “You’re not making any damn sense! Who are you?!”

“He wanted to kill me,” ‘Zero’ continued, “He wanted to take my world away… to take my place…”

Newton put the pieces together.

“And so you killed him? Is that it?”

'Zero's' frown deepened.

“Giratina? _Did you kill him_?”

The impostor's frown twisted into a nightmarish grin. Newton stepped backwards, heart pounding.

“What are you going to do now?” he croaked, “What about me…?”

“You do not bother me,” the more Giratina spoke, the more natural his voice began to sound, “You realized your mistake.”

“And Zero’s body…?”

“This body is an illusion,” Giratina responded, “I transformed my own body to make this likeness. Of Zero, nothing remains. Fitting, isn’t it? That one called ‘Zero’ should find his end in nothingness.”

Newton felt nauseous. His legs failed him, and he fell to his knees in the grass.

“He was my student…” said Newton.

“He plotted to kill me,” said Giratina, “I feel I have the right to defend my own life.”

“You could have just expelled him from–!”

“No, I couldn’t have,” said Giratina, grin warping into a scowl, “The Reverse World… It won’t answer my call anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m trapped here, just like you,” said Giratina, “Your machine stopped working because the Reverse World has shut itself down. Something has damaged the barrier between worlds, and it reacted by going into lockdown in a bid to stop the damage from spreading. I am just as powerless to leave as you are.”

Newton paled.

_The smog. That must be what all this smog is about…_

“But what could be damaging the Reverse World so badly…?

“Who can say?” Giratina tilted his head as if to shrug, “I’ve been surveying the bubbles for clues, but haven’t found anything. We may just have to wait.”

“So what will you do now, with Zero’s likeness…?”

“Use it,” Giratina answered. He looked at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists, “As a Pokémon, my voice cannot reach the ears of humans unless they are on the verge of death. But in this form, I can communicate freely. I will refine this voice so that it is indistinguishable from that of humans.”

“And then…?”

“Well,” said Giratina, “Wouldn’t you be quicker to trust another human than a looming, silent monster?”

“You’re not–what are you saying?”

“There is someone I’m destined to meet,” Giratina continued, “The Reverse World is in danger, and I’m going to need her help protecting it. To do that, my voice needs a way to reach her… this body is a perfect means to that end.”

Newton looked away. He couldn’t even _look_ at the other man without gagging. What was the next step? If word of this got out, the ramifications would most likely destroy his career–not to mention having to live knowing that there wouldn’t even be a body to bury. How was he going to explain the death of his own associate when an imposter was using his body…?

“At least,” Newton began, “At least change it. Do something. Change your hair, or your outfit. You look just like him…”

Giratina tilted his head.

“It’s ghastly, knowing he’s dead and seeing you like this…”

Giratina closed his eyes and lowered his head. His hair began to grow longer, and his blue tracksuit disappeared; a smart grey coat with gold accents and red straps appeared in its place.

“Better?” he asked pointedly.

“No,” said Newton with a sigh, “But if you’re so bent on using that form…”

“Humans are more likely to trust those they find attractive,” Giratina sneered, “If my form is pleasing to her, winning her loyalty should be easy enough. Then all we need to do is find out what’s causing this, and have her eliminate it.”

“But how do you expect to contact her if the Reverse World is–!”

“There are a few things I can try,” said Giratina, “Of course, a time may come when I require your help as well, Newton. I hope you’ll cooperate with me.”

Newton grimaced.

“I… I suppose…”

With the Reverse World damaged and his Dimensional Machine malfunctioning… did he really have a choice?


End file.
